Optimal Membrane Thickness Research Articles

An SPR-Based In Situ Methane Sensor for the Aqueous and Gas Phase.

This paper presents a fast, low-cost, precise methane sensor based on refractive index changes in a cryptophane A (CryptA)-doped polystyrene membrane. For the realization of this sensor, we built a surface plasmon resonance sensor with a refractive index resolution of 4.31 × 10-6 and investigated the optimal membrane thickness, i.e., a polymer layer of sufficient sensitivity with the lowest response time. For a membrane thickness of 760 nm, a limit of detection of 135 ppm and a response time constant of 45 s were found. Despite a comparable refractive index resolution and a higher CryptA content, the limit of detection is 3 orders of magnitude larger than that of a reported prototype. The sensor is capable of quantifying methane in the gas or aqueous phase. However, temperature, humidity, and ethanol vapor highly influence the signal. Although the principle of CryptA-based methane measurement is a promising, fast, and low-cost method, it will not be able to compete with state-of-the-art sensing in its current state.

Composite flat-sheet membrane adsorbent of Li2TiO3-Ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol (LTO-EVAL) for lithium extraction

Composite bead adsorbents have been prevalent for the extraction of Li+ from brines. However, adsorbent beads generally demonstrate declining adsorption capacity and require extended equilibrium time when used repeatedly in absorption/desorption cycles. To overcome this challenge, a novel composite flat-sheet membrane adsorbent based on ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol (EVAL) and Li2TiO3 (LTO) is reported herein for highly efficient Li+ extraction from a geothermal brine. At an optimal LTO loading and membrane thickness, the resulting LTO-EVAL membrane was characterized by a large open macrovoid structure for fast ion transport, a fast adsorption rate that reached equilibrium in 0.5 h, and a high capacity of 96 % of that of the powder. The new membrane adsorbent showed adsorption behavior consistent with the Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. For a geothermal brine with a low lithium concentration, the LTO-EVAL membrane showed stable performance in 13 rapid adsorption/desorption cycles, with adsorption capacity at an average adsorption capacity of 7.3 mg/g and a 70 % adsorption efficiency. The average dissolution rate of Ti4+ was below 0.6 % in each cycle. The structure of the adsorbent material showed no discernable changes in chemical structure as confirmed by XRD and SEM results. With the improved extraction efficiency, the reusable membrane adsorbents would be economically viable in the long run and could potentially serve as the next generation of scalable Li+ adsorption material for brines. Further utilization of membrane adsorbent would lead to new design of adsorption modules and systems with reduced footprint. We need to further optimize the stability of the membrane adsorbents so that loss of Li2TiO3 remain at low level to reduce the lost for lithium extraction from the geothermal brine.

3D-CFD Modeling of Hollow-Fiber Membrane Contactor for CO2 Absorption Using MEA Solution.

Membrane technology is considered an innovative and promising approach due to its flexibility and low energy consumption. In this work, a comprehensive 3D-CFD model of the Hollow-Fiber Membrane Contactor (HFMC) system for CO2 capture into aqueous MEA solution, considering a counter-current fluid flow, was developed and validated with experimental data. Two different flow arrangements were considered for the gas mixture and liquid solution inside the HFMC module. The simulation results showed that the CO2 absorption efficiency was considerably higher when the gas mixture was channeled through the membranes and the liquid phase flowed externally between the membranes, across a wide range of gas and liquid flow rates. Sensitivity studies were performed in order to determine the optimal CO2 capture process parameters under different operating conditions (flow rates/flow velocities and concentrations) and HFMC geometrical characteristics (e.g., porosity, diameter, and thickness of membranes). It was found that increasing the membrane radius, while maintaining a constant thickness, positively influenced the efficiency of CO2 absorption due to the higher mass transfer area and residence time. Conversely, higher membrane thickness resulted in higher mass transfer resistance. The optimal membrane thickness was also investigated for various inner fiber diameters, resulting in a thickness of 0.2 mm as optimal for a fiber inner radius of 0.225 mm. Additionally, a significant improvement in CO2 capture efficiency was observed when increasing membrane porosity to values below 0.2, at which point the increase dampened considerably. The best HFMC configuration involved a combination of low porosity, moderate thickness, and large fiber inner diameter, with gas flow occurring within the fiber membranes.

Optimization of membrane thickness for proton exchange membrane electrolyzer considering hydrogen production efficiency and hydrogen permeation phenomenon

Reducing the membrane thickness of Proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer was found to efficiently promote the hydrogen production rate. However, it can also aggravate the phenomenon of hydrogen permeation, leading to an increased hydrogen content on the anode side and posing a risk of explosions. Thus, optimal design of the membrane thickness of PEM electrolyzer systems is crucial to ensure both safe and efficient hydrogen production. In this paper, we propose two optimization problems for the membrane thicknesses, aiming at achieving a balance between the hydrogen content on the anode side and the hydrogen production rate under constant and varying power input conditions. First, the theoretical model of a PEM electrolyzer is established, and a photovoltaic-PEM electrolyzer system is considered to provide varying power input conditions. Then, the two optimization problems are formulated and resolved using the sequential quadratic programming (SQP) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms, respectively. Our results reveal that the optimal membrane thickness decreases as the constant input power increases. This suggests that high/low power inputs require thin/thick membranes. For varying power input, we collected one year of solar radiation intensity data from four different regions in China. The findings demonstrate that the selection of the optimal membrane thickness depends not only on the average solar radiation intensity but also on its seasonal variations. By applying these strategies, we effectively optimize the membrane thickness in PEM electrolyzer systems, thereby enhancing the efficiency and safety of hydrogen production. The outcomes provide valuable insights for selecting the appropriate membrane thickness in regions with varying solar radiation intensities and accounting for seasonal variations in solar radiation.

Membrane thickness affects ELIC activity & M4 helix structure.

Pentameric ligand gated ion channels (pLGICs) are a superfamily of ion channels involved in fast neural transmission. Some examples include the GABA(A) receptor and nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR). In the nAchR, it has been shown that thick membranes promote coupling of agonist binding to channel activation. However, the effect of membrane thickness on the ion transport activity of any pLGIC is not known. To investigate this, we reconstituted the model pLGIC, Erwinia ligand gated ion channel (ELIC), in liposomes consisting of di-monounsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC) of varying acyl chain length (16-22), and assayed ion flux using a sequential mixing fluorescence quenching assay. ELIC exhibited maximal agonist responses in di-20:1PC liposomes with a dramatic decrease in thinner or thicker membranes. To verify that differences in agonist responses are not a function of changes in channel orientation in the liposomes, we further assayed an ELIC construct with a quenchable fluorescent label in the N-terminal ECD. Minimal differences in the amount of outwardly facing channels were observed in different membrane conditions confirming that changes in agonist responses are primarily a function of channel activity. To investigate the structural basis of ELIC sensitivity to membrane thickness, we obtained apo and agonist-bound structures of ELIC in a circularized nanodisc with di16:1PC, di20:1PC or di22:1PC using single particle cryo-EM. In the agonist-bound structures, the membrane facing helix, M4, is poorly resolved in thin (di16:1PC) and thick (di22:1PC) membranes but clearly resolved in di20:1PC, indicating a correlation between the structure and dynamics of M4 and the optimal membrane thickness that supports channel function. These findings indicate that ELIC function is promoted by thicker membranes and suggests that sensing of membrane thickness is mediated by M4, as has been proposed for the nAchR.

Rhomboid-catalyzed intramembrane proteolysis requires hydrophobic matching with the surrounding lipid bilayer.

Membrane thinning by rhomboid proteins has been proposed to reduce hydrophobic mismatch, providing a unique environment for important functions ranging from intramembrane proteolysis to retrotranslocation in protein degradation. We show by in vitro reconstitution and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance that the lipid environment of the Escherichia coli rhomboid protease GlpG influences its activity with an optimal hydrophobic membrane thickness between 24 and 26 Å. While phosphatidylcholine membranes are only negligibly altered by GlpG, in an E. coli–relevant lipid mix of phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol, a thinning by 1.1 Å per leaflet is observed. Protease activity is strongly correlated with membrane thickness and shows no lipid headgroup specificity. We infer from these results that, by adjusting the thickness of specific membrane domains, membrane proteins shape the bilayer for their specific needs.

Computational fluid dynamics simulation study of hypersaline water desalination via membrane distillation: Effect of membrane characteristics and operational parameters

In this study, a comprehensive model was developed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and the behaviour of a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) system was investigated at hypersaline feedwater conditions. The effects of various operating parameters including feed and permeate velocities, temperatures and salinities, as well as different membrane characteristics like thickness, porosity, and thermal conductivity were studied. The developed simulation model was also validated using experimental data. The results showed that the membrane conductivity and thickness had a significant impact on the DCMD performance, and the optimum operational condition was necessary to be determined. The results showed that increasing the feedwater salinity from 50 to 200 g/l decreased the membrane flux by up to 33%, while a four times decrease in thermal conductivity of the membrane could lead to an increase in the membrane flux from 11.2 to 32.4 l/m2·h (LMH). In addition, the optimal membrane thickness was found to increase with salinity, reaching >120 μm for treatment of 22 wt% NaCl feedwater solution. However, the flux declined from >32 LMH to <13 LMH upon the increase in feedwater salinity (up to 22 wt% NaCl solution). It is also shown that a thinner membrane performed better for desalination of low salinity feedwater, while the thicker one produces higher separation performance and thermal efficiency for hypersaline brine desalination.

3D designing of resist membrane pores via direct electron beam lithography

Formation of fluidic channels with well-defined size and shape is of critical importance for reliable resistive pulse sensing of individual objects in electrolyte solution. Here we report on a method to fabricate a pore of 3D-controlled structure. We directly sculpted a hole in a polymer resist membrane of various thickness up to 6 µm by electron beam lithography. This procedure allowed to create diverse range of thickness-to-diameter aspect ratio channels of controllable shapes from concave to convex cone profiles via the varying proximity effects under different electron dose conditions. The lithographically-defined pores were utilized to detect nanoparticles by cross-membrane ionic current that revealed optimal membrane thickness for gaining larger resistive pulse signal intensities. The present technique provides a way to design single-particle sensors for cell sorting and viral screening.

Enhancement on the Quaternized sodium alginate/polyvinyl alcohol membrane performance in the application of passive DEFCs

There are two significant characterizations of anion exchange membrane (AEM membrane) that affect the performance of passive direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs), namely ionic conductivity and ethanol permeability. Reducing the AEM membrane thickness leads to an increase in ionic conductivity by decreasing ion diffusion distance. Unfortunately, decreasing the AEM membrane thickness causes high ethanol permeability occurred, which deteriorates the performance of passive DEFCs. Therefore, it is necessary to balance two significant characterizations and obtain the optimal AEM membrane thickness to achieve high membrane selectivity and enhanced the performance of passive DEFCs. In this study, the effect of membrane thickness of Quaternized sodium alginate/polyvinyl alcohol (QSA/PVA) membrane was investigated to enhance the performance of passive DEFCs. The various membrane thicknesses from 12 μm to 24 μm were investigated. Based on our previous research, QSA/PVA membrane demonstrated dense morphology and virtuous characterization for AEM membrane, which is potentially for use in passive DEFCs. The 20 μm thickness membrane of the QSA/PVA membrane obtained the highest membrane selectivity (i.e., 13.57×104 S s cm−3), and the maximum power density of passive DEFCs reached 11.2 mW cm−2. Finally, the QSA/PVA membrane has successfully maintained the operating condition without cell degradation for 1000 h.

Untargeted Metabolomics Unveil Changes in Autotrophic and Mixotrophic Galdieria sulphuraria Exposed to High-Light Intensity.

The thermoacidophilic red alga Galdieria sulphuraria has been optimizing a photosynthetic system for low-light conditions over billions of years, thriving in hot and acidic endolithic habitats. The growth of G. sulphuraria in the laboratory is very much dependent on light and substrate supply. Here, higher cell densities in G. sulphuraria under high-light conditions were obtained, although reductions in photosynthetic pigments were observed, which indicated this alga might be able to relieve the effects caused by photoinhibition. We further describe an extensive untargeted metabolomics study to reveal metabolic changes in autotrophic and mixotrophic G. sulphuraria grown under high and low light intensities. The up-modulation of bilayer lipids, that help generate better-ordered lipid domains (e.g., ergosterol) and keep optimal membrane thickness and fluidity, were observed under high-light exposure. Moreover, high-light conditions induced changes in amino acids, amines, and amide metabolism. Compared with the autotrophic algae, higher accumulations of osmoprotectant sugars and sugar alcohols were recorded in the mixotrophic G. sulphuraria. This response can be interpreted as a measure to cope with stress due to the high concentration of organic carbon sources. Our results indicate how G. sulphuraria can modulate its metabolome to maintain energetic balance and minimize harmful effects under changing environments.

Simulation Study on Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Modules for High-Concentration NaCl Solution.

Membrane distillation technology, as a new membrane-based water treatment technology that combines the membrane technology and evaporation process, has the advantages of using low-grade heat, working at atmospheric pressure with simple configuration, etc. In this study, heat and mass transfer were coupled at the membrane surfaces through the user-defined function program. The effects of feed temperature, feed velocity and permeate velocity on temperature polarization were mainly investigated for a high-concentration NaCl solution. The temperature polarization was increased with the increase of feed temperature and the decrease of feed and permeate velocity. The effects of temperature, inlet velocity and solution concentration on the evaporation efficiency of the membrane module for co- and counter-current operations were investigated in detail. The counter-current operation performed better than co-current operation in most cases, except for the condition where the NaCl concentration was relatively low or the module length was long enough. In addition, the optimal membrane thickness for both PVDF and PTFE was studied. The optimal membrane thickness was found in the range of 10 to 20 μm, which corresponded to the highest permeate flux for the selected materials, pore size distribution, and operation conditions. Membrane material with lower thermal conductivity and larger porosity was prone to get higher permeate flux and had larger optimal membrane thickness. Increasing feed velocity or feed temperature could decrease the optimal membrane thickness.

Optimizing polymer electrolyte membrane thickness to maximize fuel cell vehicle range

Automotive hydrogen polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems require periodic purges to remove nitrogen and water from the anode. Purging increases system performance by limiting anode hydrogen dilution, but reduces hydrogen utilization. State of the art fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies utilize thin ionomer membranes in an effort to increase performance and reduce cost. Thinner membranes also increase the required anode purge rates due to the increased transport of inert gases. A model was developed to examine the relationship between membrane thickness and vehicle range which takes into account anode purge rate. The model includes changes in efficiency and hydrogen utilization as a function of PEM thickness for a variety of operating conditions. The model predicts that an optimal membrane thickness which maximizes vehicle range exists, but this thickness is highly dependent on other system conditions. The results of this study can be extended to help optimize stack development and balance of plant design.

A Study of Membrane Impact on Spatial Resolution of Liquid In Situ Transmission Electron Microscope.

Microchip technology with electron transparent membranes is a key component for in situ liquid transmission electron microscope (TEM) characterization. The membranes can significantly influence the TEM imaging spatial resolution, not only due to introducing additional material layers but also due to the associated bulging. The membrane bulging is largely defined by the membrane materials, thickness, and short dimension. The impact of the membrane on the spatial resolution, especially the extent of its bulging, was systematically investigated through the impact on the signal-to-noise ratio, chromatic aberration, and beam broadening. The optimization of the membrane parameters is the key component when designing the in situ TEM liquid cell. The optimal membrane thickness of 50 nm was found which balances the impact of membrane bulging and membrane thickness. Beyond this, the short membrane window dimension and the chip nominal spacing should be minimized. However, these two parameters have practical limitations in regards to chip handling.

Delamination of Reinforced Membranes in Vanadium Redox Battery Cells

Redox-flow batteries (RFBs) possess compelling attributes for stationary energy storage. In particular, the decoupling of energy and power in RFBs enables the cost effective use of redox active materials with inherently low energy density1. This decoupling is especially advantageous for long-duration applications, i.e., discharge times ≥ 5hours at rated power2. All-vanadium redox battery (VRB) cells typically consist of a proton-conducting membrane between two porous carbon-fiber-based electrodes. The VII/VIII and VIV/VV redox couples, dissolved in strong sulfuric acid, flow through the negative and positive electrodes, respectively. The primary reactions during charge and discharge are the redox reactions of these two vanadium couples. Protons in an ion-exchange membrane (IEM) typically carry charge between the two electrodes. Movement of reactant species from one electrode to the other through the membrane results in inefficiency and reversible capacity losses and is undesirable3. Therefore, for a given membrane material, there is an optimal membrane thickness to achieve the desired performance with respect to both voltage efficiency (i.e., membrane ohmic loss) and coulombic efficiency (i.e., membrane crossover)4. State-of-the-art VRB cells employ relatively thin IEMs to enable higher ionic conductance (e.g., ≤ 25 μm thick3), which enables high power densities and reduces VRB stack costs2, 5. Perfluorinated sulfonic-acid (PFSA) membranes are typically used in VRBs due to their outstanding stability in the highly oxidizing positive electrolyte (containing VV)6. Thin PFSA membranes are often reinforced with a porous matrix to improve the mechanical robustness and reduce dimensional changes when exposed to varying levels of humidity. In addition to reducing swelling, some reinforced membranes (e.g., GORE-SELECT) can significantly decrease V permeability (33% to 47%) compared to non-reinforced membranes with the same equivalent weight (EW), while the corresponding increase in area-specific resistance (ASR) with reinforcement is smaller (13% to 18%)7. Therefore, reinforced membranes can potentially enable improved VRB cell performance, as well as being easier to handle during stack assembly. Unfortunately, reinforced membranes can undergo delamination in VRB cells. An example of this is shown in Fig. 1, which is a picture of a reinforced membrane from 3M Corporation that was removed from a stack after cycling for more than 2,000 hours. Vionx Energy’s cells use interdigitated flow fields (IDFF), which enable high performance with low pressure drops8, 9. The clear (darker) areas in Fig. 1, where the membrane remains relatively intact, coincide with the ribs of the IDFF. The white areas are where the membrane has separated into layers. These areas coincide with the IDFF channels. There is residual electrolyte between the delaminated layers. This talk shall describe the mechanisms that we hypothesize to be the causes of this delamination of reinforced membranes in VRB cells. We shall also describe accelerated test protocols that can be used to assess the likelihood for a membrane to delaminate in a RFB cell and discuss various mitigation strategies, including reinforced-membrane architectures that are less prone to delamination in RFB cells.

Membrane desalination performance governed by molecular reflection at the liquid-vapor interface

Membrane-based separation processes that utilize liquid-vapor phase changes, such as membrane distillation (MD) and osmotic distillation (OD), form the basis of emerging desalination technologies. Although thin, hydrophobic membranes are required for optimal separation performance, current modelling approaches often neglect the transport resistances associated with phase-changes at liquid-vapor interfaces. We develop a new theoretical framework to analyze water transport across porous hydrophobic membranes by accounting for the transport resistances associated with both diffusion through the membrane and phase-changes at the liquid-vapor interfaces. Applying the developed framework to MD and OD reveals that for thick membranes (≫1μm) water flux is governed by a combination of molecular and Knudsen diffusion, showing an inverse proportionality to membrane thickness. However, the resistances associated with phase-changes, which arise from molecular reflection at liquid-vapor interfaces, become transport-limiting factors as membrane thickness decreases (<∼1μm). Our analysis identifies an optimal membrane thickness of between 1μm and 10μm to maximize the water flux in MD, while the water flux in OD is shown to increase monotonically as the membrane thickness decreases. The framework presented provides key design principles for membranes that utilize vapor transport for desalination, water treatment, and chemical concentration.

The use of Nafion membranes to measure 2H/1H and 18O/16O isotopic ratios in water

The isotopic composition of water (2H/1H and 18O/16O) has been widely used in hydrology, ecology, paleoclimatology and forensic science. However, sampling frequency limits many such studies and there is now a clear need for field-portable mass spectrometer and laser-based spectrometer devices to measure water isotopic composition in-situ and at high temporal resolution. Here we explore the use of Nafion membranes as a potential Membrane Introduction (MI) inlet system for high frequency isotope analysis. As yet, the fractionation behaviour of 2H/1H and 18O/16O isotopic ratios in water transported through Nafion membranes has not been investigated. We quantify this behaviour for water samples with different matrices (organic matter and pollutants) and salinity concentrations across a wide range of isotopic ratios and different membrane thicknesses. Nafion membranes showed no fractionation effects on reported isotope ratios for natural waters. Also no fractionation effects were detected with salinity. Membrane thickness affected slightly the precision and accuracy of the isotopic ratio analysis and our tests showed that thinner Nafion membranes provide better results. However, for samples contaminated with organic matter, the thicker membranes performed better for the 2H/1H isotopic ratio, while for samples contaminated with pollutants, the thicker membranes performed better for the 18O/16O isotopic ratio. Overall, Nafion membranes appear well suited to MI inlet use and our work suggests that the optimal Nafion membrane thickness is 50–150 µm.

Basilar membrane-inspired self-powered acoustic sensor enabled by highly sensitive multi tunable frequency band

Herein, we report a self-powered flexible piezoelectric acoustic sensor (f-PAS) inspired by basilar membrane in human cochlear. The f-PAS covered the voice frequency spectrum via the combination of its low quality (Q) factor and multi-resonant frequency tuning, exhibiting four to eight times higher sensitivity than the conventional condenser sensor. Our piezoelectric acoustic sensor with a thin membrane design produced sufficient output voltages by the distinct resonant movement of the Pb[Zr0.52Ti0.48]O3 (PZT) membrane under the minute acoustic sound stimuli. Multiple sensor channels were integrated in a single f-PAS chip with a size of 1.5 × 3 cm2, which acquire multi-tunable piezoelectric signals without any external power. A linear response of the resonance frequency of the curved piezoelectric membrane was theoretically investigated by a finite element method (FEM) calculation. Low Q factors from corresponding channels were achieved by optimal membrane thickness and channel length.

Nernst-Planck transport theory for (reverse) electrodialysis: III. Optimal membrane thickness for enhanced process performance

The effect of the thickness of ion exchange membranes has been investigated for electrodialysis (ED) and reverse electrodialysis (RED), both experimentally and through theoretical modeling. By developing a two-dimensional model based on Nernst-Planck theory, we theoretically find that reducing the membrane thickness benefits process performance only until a certain value, below which performance drops. For ED, an optimum thickness can be identified in the range of 10–20 μm, while for RED the maximum power density is found for membranes that are three times as thick. Model calculations compare well with experimental data collected with a series of homogeneous membranes with the same chemical composition and a thickness in the range of 10–100 μm. Our results show that the classical picture that membranes should be as thin as possible (as long as they remain pinhole-free and structurally stable) is insufficient, and must be replaced by a more accurate theoretical framework.

Design and operation of membrane distillation with feed recirculation for high recovery brine concentration

Thermal-energy-driven desalination processes such as membrane distillation (MD), humidification dehumidification (HDH), and multi-stage flash (MSF) can be used to concentrate water up to saturation, but are restricted to low per-pass recovery values. High recovery can be achieved in MD through feed recirculation. In this study, several recirculation strategies, namely batch, semibatch, continuous, and multistage, are compared and ranked based on flux and energy efficiency, which together influence overall cost. Batch has higher energy efficiency at a given flux than semibatch and continuous recirculation because it spends more operating time treating lower salinity water for the same value of overall recovery ratio. Multi-stage recirculation is a steady-state process that can approach batch-like performance, but only with a large number of stages. Feed salinity rises during the batch operating cycle, and as a result feed velocity may have to be increased to avoid operating above the critical specific area wherein both GOR and flux are low due to significant heat conduction loss through the membrane. Finally, the choice of optimal membrane thickness for batch operation is compared to that of continuous recirculation MD.

Structure design on reinforced cellulose triacetate composite membrane for reverse osmosis desalination process

Non-woven fabric (NWF) has become one of the most important segments in filtration field. Herein, a new type of polyethylene-terephthalate (PET) NWF reinforced “sandwich” cellulose triacetate (CTA) composite reverse osmosis (RO) membrane (NCR membrane) was prepared by melting method. Moreover, the structure and performance of NCR membranes with different separation layer thickness were investigated by ATR-FTIR, SEM, and mechanical property and so on. The results indicated that the NWF supporting layer not only provided well interfacial bonding state with separation layer but also overcame the negative effect of CTA RO membrane's permeate flux loss, due to its easy compaction at a moderate or high operating pressure. Furthermore, all the same ATR-FTIR spectrum of NCR membranes indicated that NWF was wrapped up by CTA melt. Besides, the mechanical property exhibited that the tensile strength increased from 7.5 to 19.5 MPa when introducing the NWF into membrane matrix. Also, based on both membrane morphologies and performance, the optimal membrane thickness was 150 μm with adequate permeate flux and higher salt rejection. Finally, the long-term stable RO testing also exhibited that introducing NWF supporting layer with suitable thickness of separation layer was useful for compaction resistance and stable permeability of NCR membranes.