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Industrial thin-film composite (TFC) membranes achieve superior gas separation properties from high-performance selective layer materials, while the success of membrane technology relies on high-performance gutter layers to achieve production scalability and low-cost manufacturing. However, the current literature predominantly focuses on the design of polymer architectures to obtain high permeability and selectivity, while the art of fabricating gutter layers is usually safeguarded by industrial manufacturers and appears lackluster to academic researchers. This is the first report aiming to provide a comprehensive and critical review of state-of-the-art gutter layer materials and their design and modification to enable TFC membranes with superior separation performance. We first elucidate the importance of the gutter layer on membrane performance through modeling and experimental results. Then various gutter layer materials used to obtain high-performance composite membranes are critically reviewed, and the strategies to improve their compatibility with the selective layer are highlighted, such as oxygen plasma treatment, polydopamine deposition, and surface grafting. Finally, we present the opportunities of the gutter layer design for practical applications. [Display omitted] •First report to provide a comprehensive review of gutter layers for TFC membranes for gas separation.•Elucidate the importance of gutter layers to membrane performance by modeling and experiments.•Exhaustively review state-of-the-art materials used for gutter layers.•Highlight surface-engineering strategies to improve compatibility between gutter layers and selective layers.

Background The influence of femoroacetabular (FA) impingement has been implied in early hip osteoarthritis, particularly in young patients who enjoy athletics. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to assess the effectiveness and safety of hip arthroscopy compared to open surgical dislocation for the treatment of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), based on clinical trials that have been published. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted through PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for studies evaluating coxoscopy and open surgical dislocation as treatment modalities for femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAI). Results Ultimately 9 studies were added in this meta-analysis. 9 studies reported the Improvement of alpha angle of the Hip Arthroscopy treatment group and the surgical treatment group, which was no remarkable statistical significance(SMD: -5.54; 95% Cl: -12.45,1.38; P  = 0.117) compared to the surgical treatment group, Modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) after 12 months of follow-up(SMD: 0.94; 95% Cl: -2.87,4.75; P  = 0.629), Nonarthritic Hip Score (NAHS) after 12 months of follow-up (SMD:6.31; 95% Cl: 0.53,12.09; P  = 0.032), rate of recurrence (OR: 0.48; 95% Cl: 0.29,0.82; P  < 0.01), and rate of Complication (OR: 0.66; 95% Cl: 0.26,1.65; P  = 0.372). Conclusion Alpha angle improvement, mHHS, NAHS after 12 months of follow-up, rate of recurrence, and rate of Complication are some of the indicators of the study’s results point to the possibility that hip arthroscopy may be effective for patients with FA impingement; hence, these conclusions required to be corroborated by additional superior-quality studies.

Membrane technology has emerged as an attractive approach for water purification, while mitigation of fouling is key to lower membrane operating costs. This article reviews various materials with antifouling properties that can be coated or grafted onto the membrane surface to improve the antifouling properties of the membranes and thus, retain high water permeance. These materials can be separated into three categories, hydrophilic materials, such as poly(ethylene glycol), polydopamine and zwitterions, hydrophobic materials, such as fluoropolymers, and amphiphilic materials. The states of water in these materials and the mechanisms for the antifouling properties are discussed. The corresponding approaches to coat or graft these materials on the membrane surface are reviewed, and the materials with promising performance are highlighted.

Polymer membranes are attractive for molecular-scale separations such as hydrogen purification because of inherently low energy requirements. However, membrane materials with outstanding hydrogen separation performance in feed streams containing high-pressure carbon dioxide and impurities such as hydrogen sulfide and water are not available. We report highly permeable, reverse-selective membrane materials for hydrogen purification, as exemplified by molecularly engineered, highly branched, cross-linked poly(ethylene oxide). In contrast to the performance of conventional materials, we demonstrate that plasticization can be harnessed to improve separation performance.

Quantum walks hold enormous potential applications in various areas such as quantum computing and quantum simulation. Discrete-time quantum walks on a ladder offer greater prospects compared to traditional quantum walks, especially in addressing physical problems in higher-dimension coupled systems. Here we give an experimental proposal of quantum walks on a two-leg ladder using linear optics, and further apply it to non-Hermitian systems by introducing loss-based non-unitary evolutions. Non-Hermitian systems under nonreciprocity-induced evolution present an exotic phenomenon, known as the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE). In a two-leg non-Hermitian system with the same preferred direction of NHSE, the direction has recently been found to reverse when interchain couplings are introduced. Based on quantum walks on a ladder, we also propose an experimentally feasible scheme to demonstrate the direction reversal of NHSE. Through the simulated results we show that particles on each chain accumulate to the preferred boundary driven by nonreciprocal hopping, while particles are transported in the opposite direction when interchain hopping is allowed, clearly demonstrating the existence of reversed NHSE. Our work further expands the application of the quantum walk platform and opens a door for the experimental investigation of reversed NHSE.

Hierarchically porous materials containing sub-nm ultramicropores with molecular sieving abilities and microcavities with high gas diffusivity may realize energy-efficient membranes for gas separations. However, rationally designing and constructing such pores into large-area membranes enabling efficient H 2 separations remains challenging. Here, we report the synthesis and utilization of hybrid carbon molecular sieve membranes with well-controlled nano- and micro-pores and single zinc atoms and clusters well-dispersed inside the nanopores via the carbonization of supramolecular mixed matrix materials containing amorphous and crystalline zeolitic imidazolate frameworks. Carbonization temperature is used to fine-tune pore sizes, achieving ultrahigh selectivity for H 2 /CO 2 (130), H 2 /CH 4 (2900), H 2 /N 2 (880), and H 2 /C 2 H 6 (7900) with stability against water vapor and physical aging during a continuous 120-h test. Supramolecular mixed matrix materials containing amorphous MOFs are carbonized to form hierarchically nanoporous carbon membranes, and the single metal atoms and clusters enhance H 2 separation properties for H 2 production, delivery, and recovery.

Industrial membranes comprised of a thin selective layer (<100 nm) requires a gutter layer (<100 nm) between the selective layer and the porous support to achieve high permeance for gas separation. The gutter layer materials must be carefully chosen to enhance overall membrane performance, i.e. , high permeance and high selectivity. However, the experimental determination of the optimum gutter layer properties is very challenging. Herein we address this need using a three dimensional (3D) computational model to systematically determine the effects of the gutter layer thickness and permeability on membrane performance. A key finding is that the introduction of a gutter layer between the selective layer and porous support can enhance the overall permeance of the penetrant by up to an order of magnitude, but this gain is accompanied by an undesired decrease in selectivity. The analysis also shows for the first time that a maximum increase in permeance with negligible decrease in selectivity is realized when the thickness of the gutter layer is 1-2 times the pore radius. The modeling approach provides clear and practical guidelines for designing ultrathin multilayer composite membranes to achieve high permeance and selectivity for low-cost and energy-efficient molecular separations.

Molecular ferroelectric materials consist of organic and inorganic ions held together by hydrogen bonds, electrostatic forces, and van der Waals interactions. However, ionically tailored multifunctionality in molecular ferroelectrics has been a missing component despite of their peculiar stimuli-responsive structure and building blocks. Here we report molecular ionic ferroelectrics exhibiting the coexistence of room-temperature ionic conductivity (6.1 × 10 −5  S/cm) and ferroelectricity, which triggers the ionic-coupled ferroelectric properties. Such ionic ferroelectrics with the absorbed water molecules further present the controlled tunability in polarization from 0.68 to 1.39 μC/cm 2 , thermal conductivity by 13% and electrical resistivity by 86% due to the proton transfer in an ionic lattice under external stimuli. These findings enlighten the development of molecular ionic ferroelectrics towards multifunctionality. Molecular ferroelectrics contain stimuli-responsive structure and ionic building blocks, promising for ionically tailored multifunctionality. Here, the authors report molecular ionic ferroelectrics exhibiting the coexistence of room-temperature ionic conductivity and ferroelectricity.

Direct air capture (DAC) is an emerging negative CO2 emission technology that aims to introduce a feasible method for CO2 capture from the atmosphere. Unlike carbon capture from point sources, which deals with flue gas at high CO2 concentrations, carbon capture directly from the atmosphere has proved difficult due to the low CO2 concentration in ambient air. Current DAC technologies mainly consider sorbent-based systems; however, membrane technology can be considered a promising DAC approach since it provides several advantages, e.g., lower energy and operational costs, less environmental footprint, and more potential for small-scale ubiquitous installations. Several recent advancements in validating the feasibility of highly permeable gas separation membrane fabrication and system design show that membrane-based direct air capture (m-DAC) could be a complementary approach to sorbent-based DAC, e.g., as part of a hybrid system design that incorporates other DAC technologies (e.g., solvent or sorbent-based DAC). In this article, the ongoing research and DAC application attempts via membrane separation have been reviewed. The reported membrane materials that could potentially be used for m-DAC are summarized. In addition, the future direction of m-DAC development is discussed, which could provide perspective and encourage new researchers’ further work in the field of m-DAC.

Sub-nanochannels constructed by stacking two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets in parallel provide a unique molecular separation pathway with excellent size-sieving ability for membrane gas separation. Herein we review the progress in engineering these 2D channels for efficient gas separation including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and MXene. Mixed matrix materials containing these 2D materials in polymers are also reviewed and compared with conventional polymers for gas separation.