Recent Advances in Polymeric, Inorganic, and Mixed Matrix Membranes for Pervaporation Desalination

Due to the shortage of water resources and the high energy consumption limitation of traditional desalination methods, pervaporation (PV) has become a promising membrane separation technology for desalination. Membrane materials play a key role as the core of PV technology, the mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) try to introduce inorganic fillers into polymer matrix, which can combine the advantages of organic membranes and inorganic membranes -high flux and high stability. Therefore, MMMs show great potential for PV desalination performance by improving water flux, salt rejection and mechanical stability. Although significant progress has been made in the research of MMMs, there are still some key challenges, including how to ensure uniform dispersion of fillers, how to optimize filler-polymer compatibility and maintain membrane stability in long-term operation. This review systematically sorts out the latest progress of MMMs in the field of PV desalination, focusing on the application of inorganic fillers such as zeolites, graphene oxide (GO) and metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in mixed matrix membranes. Future research should prioritize the interaction between filler-polymer interfaces, develop practical fabrication methods, and explore rigorous evaluation systems for PV performance under realistic conditions to make MMMs-based PV membranes a viable and sustainable desalination technology.