Regulating the thickness of nanofiltration membranes for efficient water purification

for TFN-GP-0.2 membranes was maintained at 97.5%. The increased water flux of the TFN-GP composite membrane compared to that of the TFN nanofiltration membrane was mainly attributed to enhanced hydrophilicity and reduced thickness of the polyamide (PA) layer. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm that the diffusion rate of amine monomers is reduced by the presence of a GP complex in the IP process, which facilitates the formation of PA layer with thinner thickness. In addition, the TFN-GP-0.2 composite membrane also showed good long-term stability; after 12 h of continuous operation, the water flux only decreased by 0.1%. This study sheds new light on the development of GO-based nanofiltration for potential implementation, as well as a unique concept for manufacturing high-performance nanofiltration membranes.