Ceramic membranes have gained increasing attention in recent years for the removal of various contaminants from water. Alumina membrane is considered as one of the most important ceramic membranes, which plays important roles not only in separation processes such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and nanofiltration, but also in catalysis- and adsorption- enhanced separation applications in water purification and wastewater treatment. However, there is currently still lack of a comprehensive critical review about alumina membranes for water purification. In this review, we first discuss recent developments of alumina membranes, and then critically introduce the state-of-the-art strategies for lowering fabrication cost, improving membrane performances and mitigating membrane fouling. Especially, aiming to improve membrane performance, some emerging methods are summarized such as tailoring membrane structure, developing flexible membranes, designing nano-pores for precise separation, and enhancing multi-functionalities. In addition, engineering applications of alumina membranes for water purification are also briefly introduced. Finally, the prospects for future research on alumina membranes are proposed, such as economic preparation/application, challenging precise separation, enriching multi-functionalities, and clarifying separation mechanisms.

近年来，陶瓷膜在去除水中各种污染物方面受到越来越多的关注。氧化铝膜被认为是最重要的陶瓷膜之一，它不仅在微滤、超滤和纳滤等分离过程中发挥着重要作用，而且在水净化和废水处理中的催化和吸附强化分离应用中也发挥着重要作用。然而，目前仍然缺乏关于用于水净化的氧化铝膜的全面批判性评论。在这篇综述中，我们首先讨论了氧化铝膜的最新发展，然后批判性地介绍了降低制造成本、提高膜性能和减轻膜污染的最新策略。特别是，为了提高膜性能，总结了一些新兴方法，如定制膜结构、开发柔性膜、设计用于精确分离的纳米孔以及增强多功能性。此外，还简要介绍了氧化铝膜在净水方面的工程应用。最后，对未来氧化铝膜的研究前景进行了展望，如经济的制备/应用、具有挑战性的精确分离、丰富的多功能性、阐明分离机制等。