Graphene Oxide Membranes for Sustainable Recycling: Poly(styrene) Fractionation by Organic Solvent Nanofiltration.

ABSTRACT: Efficient separation and purification of polymeric mixtures is an important challenge in plastic recycling. Here we demonstrate a robust graphene oxide (GO) membrane platform capable of separating low- and high-molecular-weight poly-(styrene) (PS) in nonpolar solvents. By tuning GO membrane properties through pillaring with a polyconjugated aromatic compound (PAC) and controlled reduction, we obtain the efficient nanofiltration of poly-(styrene) in a hydrocarbon solvent, enabling the removal of monomers and low-molecular-weight oligomers. Over 600 h of continuous operation, the pillared membrane maintains a stable high flux of 8 ± 1 L m^-2 h^-1 and total rejection of high-MW polymer. Postfractionation, the enriched high-MW retentate has a 2-fold higher yield of styrene

SUBMITTER: Yutthasaksunthorn N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12921688 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature