Preparation of graphene oxide modified polyamide thin film composite membranes with improved hydrophilicity for natural organic matter removal

Abstract The incorporation of nano-materials in thin film composite (TFC) membrane has opened an alternative opportunity to enhance the membrane permeation and anti-fouling properties in many water treatment processes. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into the polyamide active layer of a TFC membrane via interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. The structure, composition and hydrophilicity of the membranes were characterized by FT-IR, FE-SEM and water contact angle measurements. The separation performance for natural organic matter (NOM) and the anti-fouling properties of the GO modified TFC membranes were investigated with real natural water sampled from a local river. The permeate water samples were analyzed with ultraviolet absorbance (UV), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), fluorescence excitation–emission matrices (FEEMs) and molecular weight distribution (MWD). Within the range of GO loadings assessed in this study, it was found that the TFC membrane incorporated with GO offered not only higher water flux and NOM removal rate, but also better anti-fouling properties, which was ascribed to the favorable change in membrane hydrophilicity, surface morphology and surface charge by the addition of appropriate amount of GO, indicating great potential of such membranes in water industry.