Metal–Organic Frameworks-Based Membranes with Special Wettability for Oil–Water Separation: A Review

Abstract

The presence of oily wastewater poses a significant threat to both the ecological environment and public health. In order to solve this problem, the design and preparation of an efficient oil–water separation membrane is very important. Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are currently a promising material for oil–water separation due to their tunable wettability, adjustable pore size and also low density, high porosity, and high surface area. Therefore, MOFs-based membranes show great potential in the field of oil–water separation. In this paper, we first introduce the oil–water separation mechanism and then comprehensively summarize the common preparation methods of MOFs-based oil–water separation membranes and the research progress of different MOFs-based membranes, including the ZIF series, UiO series, MIL series, etc. Finally, we also analyze the challenges faced by MOFs-based membranes in oil–water separation and provide an outlook on their future development and application.