This review of strategies for improving the performance of polyamide thin-film composite (PA-TFC) reverse osmosis (RO ) membranes looks in particular at surface modifications and the incorporation of nanoparticles.
Polyamide thin-film composite (PA-TFC) membranes are becoming more widely used for water desalination, in both industrial and experimental plants, due to their superior properties.
However, trade-offs between permeability and salt rejection, fouling and chlorination are seriously restricting their greater operational utilisation.
Various strategies have therefore been explored to tackle these problems, among which surface modification (e.g. surface coating) and nanoparticle incorporation have been identified as the most effective.
Here Chinese researchers review the state-of-the-art and breakthroughs in surface-modified and nanoparticle-incorporated PA-TFC reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, and summarise the prospects of these approaches.
This review provides comprehensive information, and gives an outlook on surface modifications and nanoparticle incorporations, which might provide clues to exploring more advanced and innovative strategies for improving the performance of PA-TFC RO membranes.