Solvent-assisted insertion of molecular supports for enhanced separation performance and stability of thin film composite reverse osmosis membranes

This study presents an innovative approach to enhance the separation performance and stability of thin-film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes through post-treatment by inserting 15-crown-5 (CE15) as molecular supports, assisted by methanol. By varying the CE15 concentration (0–4 wt%), the physicochemical properties of the membranes can be regulated with significantly improved separation performance. Comprehensive characterizations reveal that an optimal CE15 concentration of 1 wt% increases the water permeance by 148 % (from 1.86 to 4.61 LMH bar −1 ) while maintaining a high salt rejection of 98.9 %. Additionally, the chelation of CE15 with Li + or Na + further enhances the membrane's structural robustness, ensuring long-term stability. Over a 72-h period, the treated membranes exhibit only a 3.4 % reduction in water permeance, compared to a 15.8 % decline observed for the untreated membranes. This facile post-treatment method offers a scalable and effective solution to improve the permeability, selectivity, and durability of TFC membranes, presenting a promising advancement for desalination and water treatment applications. • CE15 has been successfully introduced into TFC membranes via post-treatment. • Methanol facilitates the incorporation of CE15 into the polyamide layer. • Post-treated TFC membranes have a reduced thickness and increased hydrophilicity. • Optimal 1 wt% CE15 boosts the water permeance by 148 %. • CE15 chelation with Li + and Na + enhances the long-term RO performance.