Surface and Interface Engineering of Polymer Membranes: Where We Are and Where to Go

Abstract

Surface and interface engineering provides a powerful tool to tailor the structures and properties of polymer membranes, sharpening their applications in sustainable development. Tremendous progress has been achieved in this field over the past 20 years. In this Perspective, we overview the conventional and emerging strategies for membrane surface engineering and present the current trends in surface and interface engineering for both porous and thin-film composite membranes. For porous membranes, the rise of Janus membranes motivates the evolution from uniform functionalization to asymmetric performance construction. For thin-film composite membranes, the research foci are moving to the surface modification of substrates, the fabrication of nanostructured interlayers, and especially the regulation of interfacial polymerization.