Influence of graphene oxide lateral size on the properties and performances of forward osmosis membrane
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ArticleAuthors
Akther, NawshadYuan, Ziwen
Chen, Yuan
Lim, Sungil
Phuntsho, Sherub
Ghaffour, NorEddine

Matsuyama, Hideto
Shon, Hokyong
KAUST Department
Environmental Science and Engineering ProgramBiological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering (BESE) Division
Water Desalination and Reuse Research Center (WDRC)
KAUST Grant Number
CRG2017URF/1/3404-01
Date
2020-03-20Online Publication Date
2020-03-20Print Publication Date
2020-06Embargo End Date
2022-03-20Submitted Date
2020-01-20Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/662247
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Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely explored for the improvement of thin-film composite (TFC) membrane performance. However, the influences of GO flake lateral size on the polyamide (PA) TFC membrane properties and performances have not been investigated. In this study, GO suspensions with an average flake size ranging from 0.01 to 1.06 μm2 were prepared by varying the sonication duration between 0 and 8 h. The different sized GO flakes were embedded in the PA layer to examine the effect of their size on the morphology and performances of TFC forward osmosis (FO) membranes. The specific reverse solute flux and water flux of the GO-modified thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes improved by over 60% and 50%, respectively, when the average GO flake size was reduced from 1.06 to 0.01 μm2 due to the formation of a thinner and more uniform PA layer. Large GO flakes deteriorated membrane performance by creating impervious regions that obstructed the reaction between monomers during the interfacial polymerization process resulting in defective PA layer formation. Whereas, smaller GO flakes distributed more uniformly in the PA layer creating fewer defects, and demonstrated better desalination performance and antifouling property than the TFN membranes modified with larger GO flakes. These results deliver strategies for future improvements in GO or 2D nanomaterial-based TFN membranes, where smaller flake size can be beneficial for minimizing PA layer defects.Citation
Akther, N., Yuan, Z., Chen, Y., Lim, S., Phuntsho, S., Ghaffour, N., … Shon, H. (2020). Influence of graphene oxide lateral size on the properties and performances of forward osmosis membrane. Desalination, 484, 114421. doi:10.1016/j.desal.2020.114421Sponsors
The research reported in this paper was supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia through the Competitive Research Grant Program – CRG2017 (CRG6), Grant # URF/1/3404-01. H.K.S. and Y.C. acknowledge the support provided by the Australian Research Council under the Future Fellowships scheme (FT140101208 & FT160100107), ARC Industry Hub (IH170100009), Discovery Project (DP180102210) and Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (Grant No. MB0167Y16).Publisher
Elsevier BVJournal
DesalinationAdditional Links
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S001191642030134Xae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.desal.2020.114421