Appreciation in water flux without sacrificing salt rejection for Synthesis of thin film nanocomposite forward osmosis membrane

In this article, thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane was developed using novel polysulfone– titanium dioxide (PSf–SciO2) nanocomposite substrate. The effects of SciO2 on the PSf substratemorphologies, hydrophilicity and water permeability were investigated and discussed. The results revealed that the hydrophilicity and the porosity of the substrate were improved upon the SciO2 addition, leading to significant enhancement in water flux. TFN membrane was then fabricated by establishing a polyamide layer made of 1,3-phenylendiamine and 1,3,5- benzenetricarbonyl trichloride monomers over the surface of the modified substrate. Compared with the typical TFC and commercial CTA membranes, the TFN membrane prepared always demonstrated much higher FOwater fluxwithout showing a significant increase in reverse solute flux when tested under same conditions.When tested in AL–FS orientation using 0.6MNaCl as a drawsolution and 10mMNaCl as feed solution, thewater flux of the TFN membranewas ∼120% and ∼88% higher than that of the commercial membrane and typical TFC membrane, respectively. The water flux of the TFN membrane was also reported to be much higher under prolonged filtration time, mainly due to the improved properties of substrate upon addition of SciO2.

Appreciation in water flux without sacrificing salt rejection for Synthesis of thin film nanocomposite forward osmosis membrane Keywords:

Thin film nanocomposite membrane , Nanocomposite substrate , SciO2 nanoparticles , Thin film nanocomposite membrane , Desalination