In this study, thin-film composite (TFC) membranes were produced through interfacial polymerization between diamine and trimesoyl chloride on a polyetherimide (PEI) support. The TFC membranes with different diamines, 4,4′-((propane-2,2-diylbis(4,1-phenylene))bis(oxy))dianiline (BAPP), 4,4′-((methylene bis(4,1-phenylene))bis(oxy))dianiline (MPDA), and 6,6′-bis(4-aminopheoxy)-4,4,4′,4′,7,7′-hexamethyl-2,2′-spirobichroman (SBC), were denoted as TFCPEI/B, TFCPEI/M, and TFCPEI/S, respectively. These three aromatic diamines have different central moieties that affect reactivity during the interfacial polymerization reaction. The crosslinking degree of the TFC membranes increased in the following order: TFCPEI/S < TFCPEI/M < TFCPEI/B. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy analysis also unveils that TFCPEI/B had the lowest free volume. These results reveal that the appropriate steric structure of the diamine molecules can create less compact structure without impeding the formation of the crosslinked polyamide selective layer. Moreover, the TFCPEI/B membrane had a flux of approximately 705 ± 46 g∙m−2 h−1, and the water concentration in the permeate was maintained at approximately 99.8 wt% at 25°C during the 70 wt% isopropanol solution dehydration. Furthermore, the TFCPEI/B membrane can be operated under broad operating conditions and possesses high long-term stability.
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