Interfacial polymerization plus: A new strategy for membrane selective layer construction

Abstract

Reverse osmosis membrane with high permselectivity and durability is highly desirable. Due to the self-limiting in interfacial polymerization process, existing strategies for membrane selective layer construction are constrained. Herein, a designable evolutionary strategy named interfacial polymerization plus, which combines interfacial polymerization and UV-induced graft polymerization, is proposed to construct the membrane selective layer. As a result, a sophisticated selective layer with rationally designed bulk and surface is obtained. The selective layer endows membrane with unprecedented improvement in permeability, chlorine-resistant and anti-fouling properties, while maintaining high rejection. Meanwhile, the long-term excellent performance under severe conditions indicates that the developed membrane has great potential in new and expanding applications.