Ultrathin and stable graphene oxide film via intercalation polymerization of polydopamine for preparation of digital inkjet printing dye

Abstract As a result of distinctive nanopores of two-dimensional material, graphene oxide (GO) has emerged as a new-generation membrane for high performance water separation. However, GO-based composed membrane applied to dye desalting gains less attention. A series of novel ultrathin and stable polydopamine/graphene oxide (PGO) membranes has been successfully fabricated via intercalation polymerization of dopamine using triple vacuum filtration. The polymerized dopamine (PDA) via intercalation polymerization in the interspace between the lamellar layers is used to simultaneously improve the stability of GO film and rapid passage of ions. The high permeation of pure water of as-prepared PGO membranes is investigated through adjusting the thickness (9–126 nm) of modified layers. In addition, the values decrease from 24.2 to 0.65 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 with increasing the layer. With the ultrafast ion transport and dyes rejection under cross-flow condition, the stability PGO membranes show a good capability for desalination dyes and concentration of dye (11.6 times of the initial dye solution).