Nanofiltration membrane with asymmetric polyamide dual-layer through interfacial polymerization for enhanced separation performance

Thickness reduction of polyamide separation layer played an important role in permeability enhancement of thin film composite (TFC) nanofiltration membrane. However, the practical application of TFC nanofiltration membrane with ultrathin polyamide layer is still a great challenge. Herein, we proposed a strategy for preparing nanofiltration membrane with asymmetric polyamide dual-layer through interfacial polymerization. The top polyamide layer is thin, smooth and dense. The bottom polyamide layer is relatively thick, rough and porous. The thin and dense top polyamide layer enabled membrane with relatively high water permeability (18.5 ± 1 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and Na2SO4 rejection (97.2 ± 0.8 %) performance. The thick and porous bottom polyamide layer guaranteed membrane stability. This study offers a promising strategy for polyamide composite membrane fabrication with enhanced separation performance.