In-situ ion-assisted sol-gel method for homogeneous CeO2 mesopore membrane

Huanyu Zhou, Xiaolian Jiang, Qing Han, Minghui Qiu, Xiaowei Da, Xianfu Chen, Yiqun Fan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

To achieve precise separation of bioactive molecules, an innovative strategy combining sonochemistry and in-situ ion assistance process was proposed to fabricate CeO2 mesopore membranes with narrow pore size around 3.7 nm. Under the ultrasound cavitation, the precursors and the precipitants react uniformly at molecular scale. The residual appropriate in-situ ions dispersed around the cluster form a double electric layer, thereby enhancing the stability of the sol. During sintering, ions between the clusters generate CeO2, reinforcing particle neck connections while the confined space between particles restricts further CeO2 particle growth. The resulting CeO2 membranes possess characteristics of a single fluorite phase, high crystallinity, and narrow pore size distribution. The optimal membrane thickness of 380 nm could be formed by a 2x dilution of sol and a 30-second coating time, exhibiting a complete structure with no obvious defects. The membrane achieved a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of ∼4300 Da, a pure water permeance of 61 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1, an average pore size of 3.7 nm and a roughness of 3.4 nm. In chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) preparation using cellulase, the CeO2 membranes demonstrated 100% cellulase retention and ∼50% transmission of COS with the degree of polymerization (DP) ranging from 2 to 5, thus achieving precise separation.

Original languageEnglish
Article number163665
JournalChemical Engineering Journal
Volume515
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2025

Keywords

  • CeO membranes
  • Chitosan oligosaccharides separation
  • In-situ ion-assisted
  • Narrow pore size distribution
  • Sonochemistry

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