Chlorine-Resistant Loose Nanofiltration Membranes Fabricated via Interfacial Polymerization Using Sulfone Group-Containing Amine Monomer for Dye/Salt Separation

Fabrication of high-dye/salt-separation-performances and chlorine-resistant nanofiltration (NF) membranes are crucial for dye desalination. In this study, a thin-film composite NF membrane (PES–DPS) was prepared through the interfacial polymerization of 3,3′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DPS) and trimesoyl chloride. Because of the low reactivity and the presence of the sulfone group (O=S=O) of DPS, the prepared PES–DPS membrane provided a relatively loose polyamide layer and exhibited excellent chlorine resistance, enhancing the membrane water flux and dye/salt separation performances. Furthermore, the influence of DPS concentration was systematically investigated. The optimal membrane PES–DPS–1 exhibited high direct Blue 71 rejection (99.1%) and low NaCl rejection (8.7%). Meanwhile, the PES–DPS–1 membrane displayed highly pure water flux (49.4 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1) even at a low-operating pressure (2 bar). Moreover, no significant difference in dye rejection was observed when the membrane was immersed in NaClO solution (pH = 4.0, 2000 ppm) for 12 h, thereby demonstrating its outstanding chlorine stability. In summary, this work provided a new monomer for the preparation of novel polyamide membranes to achieve excellent separation performances and chlorine resistances.