Effective cross-linking strategy for graphene oxide membrane with high structural stability and enhanced separation performance

Abstract

In order to solve the poor structural stability of graphene oxide (GO) membrane, a facile and effective cross-linking technology was employed to create a high-performance GO membrane. Herein, DL-Tyrosine/amidinothiourea and (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxysilane were used to crosslink GO nanosheets and porous alumina substrate, respectively. The group evolution of GO with different cross-linking agents was detected via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Ultrasonic treatment and soaking experiment were conducted to explore the structural stability of the different membranes. The GO membrane cross-linked with amidinothiourea exhibits exceptional structural stability. Meanwhile, the membrane has superior separation performance, with the pure water flux reaching approximately 109.6 l·m−2·h−1·bar−1. During the treatment of 0.1 g l–1 NaCl solution, its permeation flux and rejection for NaCl are about 86.8 l·m−2·h−1·bar−1 and 50.8%, respectively. The long-term filtration experiment also demonstrates that the membrane exhibits great operational stability. All these indicate the cross-linking graphene oxide membrane has promising potential applications in water treatment.