Polymeric membranes, such as polyamide thin film composite membranes, have gained increasing popularity in wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, as well as the purification and concentration of chemicals for their high salt-rejection and water flux properties. Membrane biofouling originates from the attachment or deposition of organic macromolecules/microorganisms and leads to an increased operating pressure and shortened service life and has greatly limited the application of polymeric membranes. Over the past few years, numerous strategies and materials were developed with the aim to control membrane biofouling. In this review, the formation process, influence factors, and consequences of membrane biofouling are systematically summarized. Additionally, the specific strategies for mitigating membrane biofouling including anchoring of hydrophilic monomers, the incorporation of inorganic antimicrobial nanoparticles, coating/grafting of cationic bactericidal polymers, and the design of multifunctional material integrated multiple anti-biofouling mechanisms, are highlighted. Finally, perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in anti-biofouling polymeric membranes are shared, shedding light on the development of even better anti-biofouling materials in near future.

The boosting of consumer electronics and 5G technology cause the continuous increment of the power density of electronic devices and lead to inevitable overheating problems, which reduces the operation efficiency and shortens the service life of electronic devices. Therefore, it is the primary task and a prerequisite to explore innovative material for meeting the requirement of high heat dissipation performance. In comparison with traditional thermal management material (e.g., ceramics and metals), the polymer-based thermal management material exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical insulation, chemical resistance and processing properties, and therefore is considered to be the most promising candidate to solve the heat dissipation problem. In this review, we summarized the recent advances of two typical polymer-based thermal management material including thermal-conduction thermal management material and thermal-storage thermal management material. Furtherly, the structural design, processing strategies and typical applications for two polymer-based thermal management materials were discussed. Finally, we proposed the challenges and prospects of the polymer-based thermal management material. This work presents new perspectives to develop advanced processing approaches and construction high-performance polymer-based thermal management material.

Membrane-based nanotechnology possesses high separation efficiency, low economic and energy consumption, continuous operation modes and environmental benefits, and has been utilized in various separation fields. Two-dimensional nanomaterials (2DNMs) with unique atomic thickness have rapidly emerged as ideal building blocks to develop high-performance separation membranes. By rationally tailoring and precisely controlling the nanochannels and/or nanoporous apertures of 2DNMs, 2DNM-based membranes are capable of exhibiting unprecedentedly high permeation and selectivity properties. In this review, the latest breakthroughs in using 2DNM-based membranes as nanosheets and laminar membranes are summarized, including their fabrication, structure design, transport behavior, separation mechanisms, and applications in liquid separations. Examples of advanced 2D material (graphene family, 2D TMDs, MXenes, metal–organic frameworks, and covalent organic framework nanosheets) membrane designs with remarkably perm-selective properties are highlighted. Additionally, the development of strategies used to functionalize membranes with 2DNMs are discussed. Finally, current technical challenges and emerging research directions of advancing 2DNM membranes for liquid separation are shared.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterial-based membranes feature attractive properties for molecular separation and transport, which exhibit huge potential in various chemical processes. However, the low permeability and bio-fouling of the MXene membrane in water treatment become huge obstacles to its practical application. Herein, a highly permselective and anti-bacterial 2D nanofiltration membrane is fabricated by intercalating a polycation of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDA) into the Ti₃C₂T_x MXene laminar architecture through a facile and patternable electrostatic assembly strategy. As a result, the as-fabricated Ti₃C₂T_x/PDDA composite membrane exhibits higher water permeance up to 73.4 L m⁻² h⁻¹ with a rejection above 94.6% for MgCl₂. The resultant membrane simultaneously possesses good resistance to swelling and long-term stability in water environments, even after 8 h. Additionally, the Ti₃C₂T_x/PDDA membrane also demonstrates a high flux recovery ratio of nearly 96.1% to bovine serum albumin proteins after being cleaned. More importantly, the current membrane shows excellent anti-adhesive and anti-microbial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), with inhibition rates of 90% and 95% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively. This holds great potential for the application of the polyelectrolyte-intercalated MXene membrane in serving as a promising platform to separate molecules and/or ions in an aquatic environment.