Dual 2D nanosheets with tunable interlayer spacing enable high-performance self-cleaning thin-film composite membrane

Abstract

Interlayered thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are promising in overcoming the permeability-selectivity tradeoff of conventional membranes. However, fabricating high-performance TFC membranes with tunable interlayer spacing and antifouling properties remains challenging. Here we develop a high-performance self-cleaning TFC graphene oxide (GO) membrane by employing multifunctional bismuthyl bromide (BiOBr) nanosheets to construct a unique photocatalytic GO@BiOBr interlayer. BiOBr has multiple functions, including regulating the GO nanosheet spacing (i.e., the channel size), mediating the surface properties of the interlayer to enable a desirable selective layer during interfacial polymerization, and imparting photocatalytic properties to the TFC membrane. Because of the dimensional difference between GO and BiOBr nanosheets, the spacing of the dual 2D nanosheets (GO and BiOBr) can be finely tailored by adjusting BiOBr loading. Coupling of the 2D nanosheets enables tunable interlayer properties and a highly thin and selective rejection layer, leading to significantly enhanced separation performance of the TFC membrane. The GO@BiOBr interlayered TFC membrane shows a water permeability of 29.9 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1, which is six times higher than the TFC membrane without an interlayer. The GO@BiOBr interlayered TFC membrane displays 100% rejections to various small molecules (e.g., Rhodamine B, Basic Blue 26 and Ofloxacin). The rise of BiOBr loading in the GO@BiOBr composite increases the interlayer spacing of the dual 2D nanosheets, likely leading to more monomer diffusion and eruptive interfacial polymerization. As a result, thicker and rougher polyamide layers are formed, resulting in decreased water permeability of the TFC membrane. This study presents a viable approach for engineering the next generation of high-performance self-cleaning TFC membranes for reverse osmosis, forward osmosis and nanofiltration within the realm of water treatment.