Binary Cooperative Complementary Membranes: A Perspective

Abstract Binary cooperative complementary principle (BCCP) refers to two opposite but cooperative and complementary species or states. Currently, a variety of high‐performance membranes fabricated using membrane materials with BCCP, are known as binary cooperative complementary membranes (BCCMs). Three types of BCCMs are discussed including hybrid membranes with the BCCP of channel‐in‐matrix and channel‐on‐channel, amphiphilic membranes with the BCCP of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, ion exchange membranes with the BCCP of cation and anion. Concrete examples of BCCMs are demonstrated followed by discussing the BCCP effects. The introduction of BCCP in membrane materials presents a new direction to analyze the impact factors about membrane structure and membrane performance. Using membrane materials with rational utilization of the BCCP is believed to be a new trend in the fabrication of high‐performance membranes in the wide range of application fields. Finally, the authors will put forward the significance of BCCMs and present an outlook for the future development of this topic.