Membrane Surface Properties Research Articles

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-induced carbon membrane with in-situ encapsulated cobalt crystal for hybrid peroxymonosulfate oxidation-filtration process: Preparation, characterization and performance evaluation

A novel polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-induced carbon membrane with in-situ encapsulated cobalt crystal was developed via a one-step carbonization method and applied for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The dual-function of cobalt in tuning carbon formation and activating PMS was explored. The growth mechanism of the functionalized membrane was investigated via TGA-DSC, FTIR, XRD, Raman and XPS. Results indicated that the addition of cobalt could tune the formation of C and N containing functional groups in the carbon membrane. The membrane morphologies and surface properties were further characterized by FESEM and AFM. Batch studies revealed that more than 90% of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) could be degraded after 60 min of membranes exposure in the presence of PMS. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) results verified the generation of sulfate radical in this process. The removal of humic acid (HA) in a dead-end membrane filtration mode could be maintained at ∼100% with an inconspicuous sacrifice of permeate flux over 450 min. The permeate flux achieved with PMS was higher as compared to the case without PMS addition, which could be ascribed to the catalytic oxidation of organic molecules accumulated on the membrane surface. The catalytic property imports an intrinsic antifouling property of the carbon membrane in the hybrid catalytic membrane filtration process.

All-silica DD3R zeolite membrane with hydrophilic-functionalized surface for efficient and highly-stable pervaporation dehydration of acetic acid

A novel strategy of all-silica zeolite membrane with hydrophilic-functionalized surface was proposed for efficient and highly-stable pervaporation dehydration of acetic acid. 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was used to graft onto the surface of hollow fiber supported DD3R membrane to enhance its surface hydrophilicity and therefore improve its water/AcOH separation factor. Both pristine DD3R and obtained APTES-DD3R membranes were characterized extensively in terms of water contact angle (WCA), SEM, XRD, FT-IR and XPS for comparison. When the DD3R membrane was grafted with APTES for 1 h, the membrane surface turned from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. Under the synergetic effect of enhanced water adsorption on membrane surface and intrinsic molecule-sieving property of DD3R zeolitic pores, the APTES-DD3R membrane showed an improved separation factor of 1700 rather than that (196) of pristine DD3R membrane in separation of 10 wt% water/AcOH mixture at 348 K. Moreover, the APTES-DD3R membrane exhibited excellent stability during the PV separation, even in the presence of strong inorganic acids (HCl and H2SO4).

Understanding the Antifouling Mechanism of Zwitterionic Monomer-Grafted Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membranes: A Comparative Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study.

The antifouling process of the membrane is very vital for the highly efficient treatment of industrial wastewater, especially high salinity wastewater containing oil and other pollutants. In the present work, the dynamical antifouling mechanism is explored via molecular dynamics simulations, while the corresponding experiments about surface properties of the zwitterionic monomer-grafted polyvinylidene difluoride membrane are designed to verify the simulated mechanism. Water can form a stable hydration layer at the grafted membrane surface, where all the simulated radial distribution function of water/membrane, hydrogen bond number, water diffusivity, and experimental oil contact angles are stable. However, the water flux across the membrane will increase first and then decrease as the grafting ratio increases, which not only depends on the reduced pore size of the zwitterionicmonomer-grafted membrane but also results from water diffusion. Furthermore, the dynamical fouling processes of pollutants (taking sodium alginate as an example) on the grafted membrane in water and brine solution are investigated, where both the high grafting ratio and electrolyte CaCl2 can enhance the fouling energy barrier of the pollutant. The results show that both the enhanced hydrophilic property and the electrostatic repulsion can affect the antifouling capability of the grafted membrane. Finally, the ternary synergistic antifouling mechanisms among the zwitterionic membrane, electrolyte, and pollutant sodium alginates are discussed, which could be helpful for the rational design and preparation of new and highly efficient zwitterionic antifouling membranes.

Influence of pore size and membrane surface properties on arsenic removal by nanofiltration membranes

Nanofiltration (NF) has a great potential in removing arsenate from contaminated water. The performance including arsenate rejection, water permeability and resistance to fouling could however differ substantially among NF membranes. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of membrane pore size and surface properties on these aspects of membrane performance. Four fullyaromatic NF membranes with different physicochemical properties were adopted for this study. The results showed that surface charge, hydrophobicity, roughness and pore size could affect water permeability and/or arsenate rejection considerably. A more negative surface charge was desirable to enhance arsenate rejection rates. NF90 and a non-commercialized membrane (M#1) demonstrated the best performance in terms of arsenate rejection and water permeability. The M#1 membrane showed less membrane fouling than NF90 when used for filtration of real arsenic-containing groundwater. This was mainly due to its distinct chemical composition and surface properties. A severe membrane fouling could lead to a substantial reduction of arsenic rejection. The M#1 membrane showed the best performance, which indicated that membrane modification could indeed enhance the overall membrane performance for water treatment.

Solution Blown Nylon 6 Nanofibrous Membrane as Scaffold for Nanofiltration.

In this work, a nylon 6 nanofibrous membrane was prepared via solution blowing technology and followed hot-press as scaffold for nanofiltration. The structure and properties of the hot-pressed nylon 6 nanofibrous membrane (HNM) were studied the effect of hot-pressing parameters and areal densities. Then an ultra-thin polyamide (PA) active layer was prepared by interfacial polymerization on HNM. The effects of nanofibrous scaffolds on the surface properties of ultra-thin nanofiltration membranes and their filtration performance were studied. Results showed that the nylon 6 nanofibers prepared at a concentration of 15 wt % had a good morphology and diameter distribution and the nanofibers were stacked more tightly and significantly reduced in diameter after hot pressing at 180 °C under the pressure of 15 MPa for 10 s. When the porous scaffold was prepared, HNM with an areal density of 9.4 and 14.1 g/m2 has a better apparent structure, a smaller pore size, a higher porosity and a greater strength. At the same time, different areal densities of HNM have an important influence on the preparation and properties of nanofiltration membranes. With the increase of areal density, the uniformity of HNM increased while their surface roughness and pore size decreased, which is beneficial to the establishment of PA barrier layer. With areal density of 9.4 and 14.1 g/m2, the as-prepared nanofiltration membrane has a smoother surface and more outstanding filtration performance. The pure water flux is 13.1 L m−2 h−1 and the filtration efficiencies for NaCl and Na2SO4 are 81.3% and 85.1%, respectively.

Development of Copper-Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide in Thin Film Nanocomposite Nanofiltration Membrane for Water Purification Process.

This study aims to fabricate a thin film composite (TFC) membrane, modified with copper-aluminium layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanofillers via interfacial polymerization technique for nanofiltration (NF) processes. It was found that Cu-Al LDH nanofillers possessed layered structured materials with typical hexagonal plate-like shape and positive surface charge. The study revealed that TFN membrane exhibits a relatively smooth surface and a less nodular structure compared to pristine TFC membrane. The contact angle of TFN progressively decreased from 54.1° to 37.25°, indicating enhancement in surface hydrophilicity. Moreover, the incorporation of LDH nanofillers resulted in a less negative membrane as compared to the pristine TFC membrane. The best NF performance was achieved by TFN2 membrane with 0.1° of Cu-Al LDH loading and a water flux of 7.01 Lm-2h-1.bar. The addition of Cu-Al LDH resulted in excellent single salt rejections of Na2SO4 (96.8%), MgCl2 (95.6%), MgSO4 (95.4%), and NaCl (60.8%). The improvement in anti-fouling properties of resultant TFN membranes can be observed from the increments of pure water flux recovery and normalized water flux by 14% and 25% respectively. The findings indicated that Cu-Al LDH is a promising material in tailoring membrane surface properties and fouling resistance. The modification of the LDH-filled TFN membrane shows another alternative to fabricating a high-performance composite membrane, especially for water softening and partial desalination process.

Surface grafting of zwitterionic and PEGylated cross-linked polymers toward PVDF membranes with ultralow protein adsorption

It remains a major challenge to prepare membranes with minimal protein adsorption for bio-related applications. In this work, modified polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes having ultralow protein adsorption were prepared by grafting zwitterionic and PEGylated cross-linked polymers onto the membrane surface. The PVDF membrane was first treated with alkaline and tethered with cross-linked polyethylene glycol diacrylate (CPEGDA) via ATRP. By reacting the abundant alkene group at the periphery of CPEGDA with cystine or monomethyl PEG thiol (MPEG-SH, Mn = 200, 600, 2000) by thio-ene reaction, the membrane surface was tethered with high density protein repellent groups. The PVDF-g-CLPEG2000 membrane shows the best performance and its bovine serum albumin (BSA) and bovine serum fibrinogen (BFG) adsorptions can be lowered to only 1/50 and 1/40 that of the original PVDF membrane, respectively. Similar fouling tendencies were observed in the dynamic filtration process. This work addresses the significance of cross-linked grafting on altering membrane surface properties.

A poly(ionic liquid) complex membrane for pervaporation dehydration of acidic water-isopropanol mixtures

Advanced membranes for pervaporation dehydration of acidic mixtures are demanded since the membrane swelling and stability in acidic feed differ from that in neutral feed. Herein we exploited poly(ionic liquid) complex (PILC) membranes featuring high dehydration performance in acidic conditions versus feed temperature and operation time. A poly(ionic liquid), i.e., poly[1-cyanomethyl-3-vinylimidazolium bromide] (PCMVImBr), was synthesized and complexed with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMCNa) to prepare membranes. Chemical structures, compositions, microstructures and surface properties of PCMVIm-CMCNa PILC membranes were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, element analysis, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and water contact angle. The PILC membranes were efficient in dehydrating 10 wt% acidic water-isopropanol mixtures. Water in permeate for PILC membranes was maintained 99.5 ± 0.3 wt% (feed pH: 7–1, feed temperature: 70 °C), in stark contrast to the pristine CMCNa membrane whose separation factor declined significantly from 1791 to 91.

Generating Giant Membrane Vesicles from Live Cells with Preserved Cellular Properties.

Biomimetic giant membrane vesicles, with size and lipid compositions comparable to cells, have been recognized as an attractive experimental alternative to living systems. Due to the similarity of their membrane structure to that of body cells, cell-derived giant plasma membrane vesicles have been used as a membrane model for studying lipid/protein behavior of plasma membranes. However, further application of biomimetic giant membrane vesicles has been hampered by the side-effects of chemical vesiculants and the utilization of osmotic buffer. We herein develop a facile strategy to derive giant membrane vesicles (GMVs) from mammalian cells in biofriendly medium with high yields. These GMVs preserve membrane properties and adaptability for surface modification and encapsulation of exogenous molecules, which would facilitate their potential biological applications. Moreover, by loading GMVs with therapeutic drugs, GMVs could be employed for drug transport to tumor cells, which represents another step forward in the biomedical application of giant membrane vesicles. This study highlights biocompatible GMVs with biomimicking membrane surface properties and adaptability as an ideal platform for drug delivery strategies with potential clinical applications.

Preparation of a High-Performance Porous Ceramic Membrane by a Two-Step Coating Method and One-Step Sintering

Hole defects and uneven membrane thicknesses can lead to poor performance, especially in the separation stability of ceramic membranes. This paper uses a one-step sintering method, which avoids hole defects and uneven membrane thicknesses, for the preparation of high-performance and defect-free ceramic membranes. For this purpose, two kinds of ceramic membrane slurry with high or low viscosities were prepared by alumina particles, as raw materials. Both the effects of the two coating process with a one-step coating method for low-viscosity slurry, and the two-step coating method with a high viscosity flush after a low viscosity coating, on the surface properties of a ceramic membrane, were studied in detail. The result shows that the properties of ceramic membranes can be improved by a two-step coating method, with a high viscosity flush after a low viscosity coating, A high-performance and defect-free ceramic membrane was obtained by one-step sintering at 1450 °C for 2 hr with 7 wt % solid content and a coating time of 11 s.

Behaviours of poly(ε-caprolactone)/silver-montmorillonite nanocomposite in membrane ultrafiltration for wastewater treatment

ABSTRACTThe scope of this work consists in studying the possibility of using the long-lasting antimicrobial poly(ε-caprolactone)/silver-montmorillonite (PCL/Ag-MMT) materials which we have developed in our previous research, as new class of nanocomposite membranes, finding their application in the wastewater treatment. The surface properties of these hybrid membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and contact angle measurements. The SEM results showed that the synthesized membranes exhibited homogeneous sponge microstructures. It was found that the gradual inclusion of nanoparticles (2, 3 and 5 wt. %) into PCL matrix induced a remarkable increase of the membrane thickness. Moreover, these hybrid materials exhibited an enhancement of the surface hydrophilicity attributed to the hydrophilic nature of clay incorporated. The water contact angle of the PCL membrane surface noticeably decreased after the Ag-MMT addition: dropping from 82.60° for PCL 0%Ag-MMT to 64.28° for PCL 5%Ag-MMT membrane. The antimicrobial properties of the membranes were confirmed using Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) as the model bacteria. Quality parameters including total suspended solids (TSS), electric conductivity (EC), nitrates, chlorides, bicarbonates, heavy metals and other trace elements, were determined before and after treatment of real wastewater. A decrease of nitrates by 15.12%, a diminution of sulphates by 45.61% and a removal of 41.38%, 53.57% and61.11% for heavy metals Pb, Zn and Cd respectively indicating clearly that the ultrafiltration process using PCL/AgMMT nanocomposite membranes is an effective way to eliminate the wastewater effluents.

Investigation of virus retention by size exclusion membranes under different flow regimes.

Virus removal by filter membranes is regarded as a robust and efficient unit operation, which is frequently applied in the downstream processing of biopharmaceuticals. The retention of viruses by virus filtration membranes is predominantly based on size exclusion. However, recent results using model membranes and bacteriophage PP7 point to the fact that virus retention can also significantly be influenced by adsorptive interactions between virus, product molecules, and membranes. Furthermore, the impact of flow rate and flow interruptions on virus retention have been studied and responsible mechanisms discussed. The aim of this investigation was to gain a holistic understanding of the underlying mechanisms for virus retention in size exclusion membranes as a function of membrane structure and membrane surface properties, as well as flow and solution conditions. The results of this study contribute to the differentiation between size exclusion and adsorptive effects during virus filtration and broaden the current understanding of mechanisms related to virus breakthroughs after temporary flow interruptions. Within the frame of a Design of Experiments approach it was found that the level of retention of virus filtration membranes was mostly influenced by the membrane structure during typical process-related flow conditions. The retention performance after a flow interruption was also significantly influenced by membrane surface properties and solution conditions. While size exclusion was confirmed as main retention mechanism, the analysis of all results suggests that especially after a flow interruption virus retention can be influenced by adsorptive effects between the virus and the membrane surface. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2747, 2019.

Modification of Nafion membrane by polyaniline providing uniform polymer distribution throughout the membrane

Oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of Nafion membranes has been carried out in a water–isopropanol mixture after preliminary impregnation of the membrane with the monomer (aniline) in aqueous isopropanol. Uniform distribution of polyaniline (PANI) throughout whole membrane volume has been found. On the contrary, aniline polymerization in water, even after preliminary impregnation of the membrane with the monomer, has resulted in the formation of PANI thin layer only on the membrane surfaces but not inside the membrane. The polymerization in water–isopropanol mixture has not led to the change in the membrane surface properties but has induced the structural reorganization of Nafion membrane accompanied by the increase in the membrane ionic cluster size and the distance between the fluorocarbon crystallites. Modification by PANI carried out either in water or in aqueous isopropanol solution has resulted in the decrease in the membrane proton conductivity by 5–10 times.

Improvement of performance of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes using dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment as a novel surface modification method

In this research, surface modification of aromatic polyamide thin film composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membranes was carried out using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment to improve the performance and fouling resistance of prepared RO membranes. First, polyamide TFC RO membranes were synthesized via interfacial polymerization of m‐phenylenediamine and trimesoyl chloride monomers over microporous polysulfone support membrane. Next, the DBD plasma treatment with 15 s, 30 s, 60 s, and 90 s duration was used for surface modification. The surface properties of RO membranes were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐FTIR), SEM, AFM, and contact angle measurements. The ATR‐FTIR results indicated that DBD plasma treatment caused hydrogen bonding on the surface of RO membranes. Also, the contact angle measurement showed that the hydrophilicity of the membranes was increased due to DBD plasma treatment. The changes in the membranes surface morphology indicated that the surface roughness of the membranes was increased after surface modification. In addition, it was found that the DBD plasma treatment increased the water permeation flux significantly and enhanced sodium chloride (NaCl) salt rejection slightly. Moreover, the filtration of bovine serum albumin revealed that the antifouling properties of the modified membranes had been improved. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E468–E475, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Effect of Dispersity of a Sulfonated Cation-Exchanger on the Current–Voltage Characteristics of Heterogeneous Membranes Ralex CM Pes

The influence of the electrical and geometrical heterogeneity of the surface of heterogeneous sulfonated cation-exchange membranes on their current–voltage characteristic (CVC) has been experimentally studied. The objects of the study have been experimental samples of Ralex CM Pes membranes manufactured by MEGA a.s. (Czech Republic). A series of experimental membranes Ralex has been produced by hot rolling using an ion-exchanger with different particle sizes. The particle size of the ion-exchanger was controlled by its milling time from 5 to 80 min. It has been found that in the swollen state of the membranes, the ratio of conducting (ion-exchanger particles) and inert (polyethylene) areas on the membrane surface remains constant regardless of the milling time of the sulfonated cation-exchanger. At the same time, the dimensions of the conductive areas and the distance between them decreased and the surface microrelief became smoother. The influence of changes in the membrane surface properties on the CVC parameters has been revealed. With an increase in the ion-exchanger milling time corresponding to a decrease in the spacing of electrical heterogeneity of the surface, a reduction in the length of limiting-current plateau and a decrease in the resistance of the second and third regions on the current–voltage curve were observed. It has been assumed that the main cause of changes in the current–voltage characteristics is an increase in the intensity of heteroelectroconvection.

Dependence of initial silica scaling on the surface physicochemical properties of reverse osmosis membranes during bench-scale brackish water desalination

Silica scaling of reverse osmosis membranes in brackish water desalination is less understood than hardness scaling due to the complex silica behaviors at the membrane/water interface. In this study, -COOH, -SO3H, -NH2 and -OH functional groups were introduced onto polyamide membranes to create distinct surface physicochemical properties. The resulting membranes were further studied under similar scaling conditions to yield temporal flux loss data that were empirically interpreted by a logistic growth model. The scaled membranes were also characterized by complementary analytical techniques. It was found that permeate flux loss was strongly correlated to the initial silica layer formed by direct interaction between reactive silanol (Si-OH) and reciprocal groups on the membrane surface, rather than the entire scaling layer. Importantly, membrane surface properties dictated the initial silica layer formation through three possible mechanisms, i.e., electrostatic repulsion, competitive adsorption, and interfacial energy change. Of these, electrostatic repulsion was identified as the primary one. Therefore, by modifying the membrane surface properties, the three aforementioned mechanisms may be enhanced to favor the formation of a loose, disordered initial silica scaling layer. Accordingly, membrane flux loss may be mitigated. This finding provided important insights into the design heuristics of scaling-resistant reverse osmosis membrane for brackish water desalination.

Enhanced performance of polyvinylidene fluoride ultrafiltration membranes by incorporating TiO2/graphene oxide

Aiming to enhance the water flux and anti-fouling performance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes, TiO2–GO/PVDF membranes were first fabricated via blending and immersion precipitation phase inversion. Following that, TiO2–GO nanocomposites grafted with different polyethylene glycol (PEG) were employed as the additives to prepare the novel PVDF hybrid membranes. FTIR spectroscope, SEM, zeta potentiometer, and static contact angle analyzer were employed to characterize the structure and surface properties of the hybrid membranes. Ultrafiltration was used to evaluate the membrane performance. Results showed that the interaction between GO and TiO2 led to the good distribution of TiO2–GO in the polymeric membrane, which increased the polarity and porosity of the hybrid membranes, thus increasing their water flux and anti-fouling performance. The maximum flux of hybrid membranes was four times that of the neat PVDF membrane. The PEG grafted on the TiO2–GO nanocomposites did not only act as a pore-forming additive, but also improved the hydrophilicity and porosity of the hybrid membrane due to the enhancement on the distribution and surface polarity of TiO2–GO. Therefore, both the flux and anti-fouling performance of PVDF membranes containing PEG-modified TiO2–GO were significantly higher than those of membranes including unmodified TiO2–GO.

Aged PVDF and PSF ultrafiltration membranes restored by functional polydopamine for adjustable pore sizes and fouling control

Hydrophilic polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and polysulfone (PSF) membranes modified by hydrophilic additives such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) are widely used in various industrial fields. However, the degradation and removal of hydrophilic additives caused by chemical cleaning agents can occur in a short-term aging, which impair the integrity and performances of the membranes. A restoration method is essential for improving the performances of initial aged membranes. In this study, the effects of polydopamine (PDA) coatings on the structural/surface characteristics, the filtration performance and fouling behaviors of aged PVDF and PSF membranes were investigated. Results indicate that the surface properties of aged membranes could be improved by PDA modification. However, the PDA coating structures for PSF and PVDF membranes are different, which are regulated by the different aperture ranges of aged membranes. A mechanism of external and internal PDA restoration for aged membranes with different aperture ranges was introduced. PDA deposited on/in aged PVDF membrane that had large aperture could achieve the synchronous repair of membrane external and pore surface, which not only enhance their surface hydrophilicity (contact angle goes from 80.2° to 58.7°) and zeta potential (from − 23.7 mV to − 30.5 mV at pH 7.5) but also these properties of the pore channel surface and narrow the enlarged pore size simultaneously (the average pore size changes from 220 nm to 170 nm), in turn improved the anti-fouling and rejection performances. By contrast, the PDA was formed as an individual layer on the surface of aged PSF membrane with smaller pore sizes and blocked some pores that showed reduced adsorption and accumulation of foulants on membrane surface, but less reduction of fouling was observed during fouling experiments.

MOLECULAR-GENETIC MECHANISMS OF PLASMODIUM FALCIPARUM VIRULENCE AND TROPICAL MALARIA PATHOGENESIS

There is introduced the analysis of molecular-genetic mechanisms of tropical malaria pathogenesis and P. falciparum virulence. It is shown, that pathogenesis of tropical malaria is associated with the properties of red blood cells membrane surface (RBCs or erythrocytes) that are infected by P. falciparum. There are «knobs structures» on membrane surface infected RBCs. Knobs structures contains a complex of P. falciparum proteins – PfEMP1 (Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1). PfEMP1 is associated with virulence of P. falciparum. Complex PfEMP1 has difficult polymorphous structure. Domains of PfEMP1 are able to associate with different cell receptors. Virulence`s individual components of the main factor are selectively sensitive to different tissues and organs. The severity of the clinical malaria infection course depends on the complex structure PfEMP1 of malaria parasites. Composition of polypeptide PfEMP1 is determined by var-complex. Nowadays there are 60 variants of var-complex. Regulation of gene expression, forming part of the var-complex, is carried out on a molecular-genetic level, cellular level, tissue level. Modern research in this area are aimed to explore genes polymorphism of the virulence`s main factor, to identify mechanism of its differential expression. Search of molecular – genetic markers is relevant to develop methods of gene diagnostic and malaria vaccine.

Preparation of SGO-modified nanofiltration membrane and its application in SO42 − and Cl− separation in salt treatment

The lack of fresh water in the world makes the search for an effective method to decontaminate water an urgent priority. An important step is to remove different multivalent ions in salt treatment. Nanofiltration (NF) has been used for treating water containing different kinds of salts. In this work, sulfonate group-modified graphene oxide (SGO) was prepared, and added during the interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction to prepare SGO-modifiedNF membranes (PA-SGO). The chemical composition, structure and surface properties of PA and PA-SGO membranes were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, SEM, AFM, contact angle and zeta potential measurements. Their water flux, salt rejection and anti-fouling abilities were investigated systematically. The testing results showed that the water flux of PA-SGO (0.03% SGO) was 45.85 LMH under a pressure of 0.2 MPa, and the salt rejection varied in the order of Na2SO4 (98.99%) > MgSO4 (91.25%) > MgCl2 (42.27%) > NaCl (21.96%). An anti-fouling experiment indicated that the PA-SGO membrane had good anti-fouling properties because of its decreased roughness and increased hydrophilicity and electronegativity. The PA-SGO membrane has good potential for use in removing salt ions from water.