Membrane‐aided simultaneous reaction–separation for liquid phase products

Abstract

Conventionally, reaction and separation are conducted as separate steps in liquid‐phase manufacturing, with products formed during reaction and subsequently separated from unreacted reagents, solvents, and byproducts. Integrating these steps into a simultaneous reaction–separation process can improve efficiency and reduce costs. Here, we developed a membrane‐based reactor that enables reaction and selective product separation simultaneously. We demonstrate the simultaneous reaction–separation of the ionic liquid (IL) [EMIM][NTf ₂ ] using a hydrophobic/oleophilic perfluorocarbon‐coated membrane, with capillary pressure as the primary separation driving force. Without the post‐reaction washing required in conventional decanting, the process achieves comparable IL purity, including lower water content and slightly higher Li ⁺ content, as confirmed by NMR, TGA, and ICP‐MS. The separation performance remains stable over multiple reaction–separation cycles. These findings provide a promising strategy for more efficient industrial manufacturing of liquid‐phase products.