Solvent Resistant Membranes Research Articles

Solvent resistant asymmetrical polyimide nanofiltration membranes prepared via combining surface chemical grafting with thermal-induced pore narrowing

Polymeric membranes with precise sieving and robust solvent resistance are desirable for molecular separation via organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN). Polyimide (PI) is a promising membrane-forming material used in OSN owing to its high thermal stability and excellent solvent resistance. However, effective methods constructing integrated ultrathin selective layer for asymmetrical PI membranes to achieve high separation accuracy and enhanced solvent resistance are rarely reported. In this work, we developed an integrally skinned asymmetrical OSN membrane by grafting tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane onto the PI ultrafiltration membranes, followed by a thermal annealing step at a temperature that is much lower than the glass transition temperature of PI. A dense skin layer was successfully created on the monoamine-modified PI membranes due to thermal-induced surface pore narrowing, companied by efficient intermolecular imidization. The optimised membrane exhibited acceptable and stable solvent permeance for ethanol (1.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and acetonitrile (9.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1). The typical membrane had a molecular weight cut-off of approximately 350 Da and demonstrated highly efficient separation of methyl orange from isatin in ethanol, indicating excellent molecular sieving properties. Moreover, the chemically crosslinked characteristic endowed the thermal-treated PI with remarkable stability of the permeation and separation performances in long-term OSN application. This work offers a convenient strategy to manufacture solvent-resistant polymeric membranes for highly-efficient molecular separation in organic solvent.

Effect of surfactants on the permeation rate and selectivity of polyamide composite membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration

Solvent-resistant membranes are pivotal in industrial separations. This study aims to develop thin-film composite polyamide (TFC-PA) membranes with enhanced organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) capabilities. Polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAAH) was used as the aqueous amine and isophthaloyl chloride (IPC) as the crosslinker to form the polyamide active layer by interfacial polymerization (IP) on a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support. The impact of using anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) to act as phase transfer agents during IP was investigated to understand their potential for facilitating the transfer of PAAH to the organic phase for reaction with IPC. The SDS and CTAB were separately dissolved into the PAAH solutions before IP to evaluate their effects on membrane properties. Extensive characterization including SEM, EDX, AFM, Water Contact Angle, ATR-FTIR, and Solid (CP-MAS) 13C NMR revealed various chemical and structural features of the membrane. The membrane M2 (PAAH-IPC) (exhibited >98% rejection for various anionic and cationic dyes. The inclusion of SDS during interfacial polymerization led to a substantial 3-fold increase in methanol permeate flux from 31 L m−2 h−1 to 119 L m−2 h−1, at a pressure of 15 bar. Conversely, the addition of CTAB resulted in membranes with higher permeate flux but insufficient dye rejection. Moreover, after three weeks of static aging of the membranes no significant changes were detected in either permeability or solute rejection, substantiating the stability of membranes.

Strategic small molecule engineering: Unleashing the full potential of Kevlar aramid membrane in organic solvent nanofiltration

Kevlar aramid fiber (KANF), renowned for its exceptional solvent resistance, holds immense potential in fabricating of solvent-resistant membranes. However, the well-ordered structure of its rigid polymeric chains, coupled with intense intermolecular forces, significantly impedes the transport of solvents. Here, we propose a methodology utilizing small molecule polyethylene glycol (PEG) to mediate an interlayer structural reconstruction of KANF membranes, thereby enhancing solvent permeation. PEG, functioning as a nanostructure regulator, effectively inhibits the diffusion of DMSO into non-solvents during the phase inversion process. This intervention results in the multi-directional polymerization of aramid nanofibers and the emergence of distinctive interconnected microporous structures between layers, which notably accelerates the transport speed of solvents within the membrane. Concurrently, preserving of the dense layer on the surface ensures superior separation performance for the KANF membranes. This research underscores the possibility of modulating the internal microstructure of KANF membranes and highlights the prospective utility of KANF-PEG membranes in the organic solvent nanofiltration field.

Strong impact of exposure to water/solvent mixtures on permeance of nanofiltration membranes

Water/solvent mixtures released from industrial processes, especially in pharma and fine chemical synthesis or in advanced oil production, are an environmental concern, necessitating the development of efficient remediation and recycling techniques. Solvent-tolerant nanofiltration (STNF), situated between aqueous nanofiltration (NF) and solvent-resistant nanofiltration (SRNF), offers a promising solution. This study investigates the potential of using aqueous NF- and SRNF-membranes to treat water/solvent mixtures. Commercial membranes (NF270, DuraMem® 300, DuraMem® 200) and a lab-synthesized polyvinylidene fluoride (XL-PVDF NF) membrane were used to treat dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetonitrile (ACN), Isopropyl alcohol (IPA), or dimethylformamide (DMF) mixtures with water. The addition of 10% DMSO, ACN, IPA, or DMF to water significantly reduced the permeance of these NF-membranes, and an increase in temperature failed to restore the initial permeance. Changes in both viscosity and surface tension of the water/solvent solutions strongly influence the permeance of the NF-membranes. Flory-Huggins and Zimm-Lundberg theories offered an explanation for the phenomenon where solvent clusters form within the dense polymer matrix of NF-membranes upon exposure to water/solvent mixtures, resulting in decreased water permeabilities. NMR analysis identified of the presence of small amounts of solvents in the STNF-membranes, even still after prolonged exposure to pure water permeation. The results emphasize the current shortcomings of aqueous and solvent-resistant membrane chemistries in handling water/solvent mixtures. Minor solvent additions significantly modify NF membrane permeance, emphasizing the need for innovative material design, especially given the variable solvent content in industrial applications.

Preparation of solvent-resistant polyimide membranes for efficient separation of dyes and salts via an “internal drive” strategy

It is extremely difficult to separate salts and dyes from high-salinity printing and dyeing wastewater. In this study, modified montmorillonite (EPTAC-CD-MMT) was obtained by intercalation of 2,3-epoxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride (EPTAC) modified cyclodextrin (CD). PI/EPTAC-CD-MMT membrane was prepared by blending EPTAC-CD-MMT with polyimide (PI). The addition of EPTAC-CD-MMT could inhibit the motion of PI molecular chains and increase the solvent resistance of the membrane. Additionally, EPTAC-CD-MMT exhibited spontaneous “internal drive” during the phase transition and segregated to the membrane surface. The pore structure of the membrane was adjusted to a well-developed “side pore” structure. Thus, solvent-resistant membranes for dye/salt separation with high flux were finally obtained. The successful modification of MMT was demonstrated by FTIR, XRD, TGA and XPS. EDX and SEM were used to characterize the surface segregation phenomena and well-developed pore structures of the membranes. When EPTAC-CD-MMT was added at 3 wt%, the membranes showed a significant increase in pure water flux (138.0 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1), high dye rejection (>98.5 %), low salt rejection (<10.0 %), and good solvent resistance in six organic solvents. This demonstrated the potential of PI/EPTAC-CD-MMT separation membranes for the treatment of dye wastewater containing sophisticated organic solvents.

A novel organic solvent nanofiltration membrane prepared via green mild and simple crosslinking process

Organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) is a new type of organic fluid separation technology that can greatly reduce energy consumption compared with traditional distillation techniques. However, the development and application of OSN are restricted by the high manufacturing cost of solvent resistant membranes, including expensive materials and complex post-treatment process. In this paper, a low-cost polyaryletherketone bearing amino group synthesized from industrial raw material phenolphthalein was proposed, and then the crosslinked polyaryletherketone membrane with remarkable stability in polar aprotic solvent was prepared by green, mild and simple crosslinking method. The separation accuracy of the membrane can be easily adjusted from ultrafiltration to nanofiltration by altering the composition of the cast solution. In addition, the prepared membrane can be operated in DMF for 120 h, which indicated the excellent stability of the membrane, even for hash polar aprotic solvents. Therefore, this work demonstrates a novel low-cost solvent resistant membrane material that is promising for OSN applications.

Lithium solvent extraction by a novel multiframe flat membrane contactor module

Comparing to conventional liquid–liquid extraction, membrane extraction is an efficient and environmentally friendly separation technique to recover lithium from the salt-lake brine. Development of suitable hydrophilic solvent resistant nanoporous membranes for membrane extraction has been based on bench-scale small module. Because module design has significant impact on the performance, this work reported a novel multiframe flat membrane contactor module (MFMC) for lithium extraction from synthetic brine. The hydrophilic poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)/sulfonated poly(etheretherketone) membrane supported with polypropylene nonwoven (EVAL/SPEEK-NW) was prepared for module evaluation. The membrane mass transfer coefficients km of 1.1 × 10-6 m/s was obtained by Wilson plot. The global mass transfer coefficient Ke increased from 4.5 × 10-7 m/s to 9.9 × 10-7 m/s following the flow velocity from 0.4 to 1.8 cm/s in membrane extraction. We further evaluated the characteristics of MFMC via height of transfer units (HTU) and module efficiency (ME). High module efficiency of 90% was obtained, demonstrating MFMC’s efficient flow distribution. HTU of 28 m was estimated and was expected to decrease to 3 m by optimizing thickness of gasket and spacer as well as membrane performance. The MFMC module effectively reduced the loss of tributyl phosphate (TBP) by 91% comparing to liquid–liquid extraction. The research presented herein provides a flat membrane module design for potential future application of membrane extraction in wide applications.

Controlling the degree of acetylation in cellulose-based nanofiltration membranes for enhanced solvent resistance

Increasing concerns associated with the environment and global warming have triggered the exploration of the preparation of greener membranes. The abundance of renewable cellulosic biomass offers an excellent source material for membrane fabrication. In particular, cellulose acetate (CA) has been widely used as a membrane material. In this study, we explore the effect of the degree of acetylation (DoA) on membrane performance in organic solvents for the first time. We prepared CA membranes using nonsolvent-induced phase separation with Cyrene as a green solvent. Deacetylation was directly performed on the CA membranes to obtain a final DoA in the range of 1.2%–39.3%. The solvent resistance of the membranes increased as the DoA decreased. The membranes exhibited constant permeance at a pressure of 30 bar, which suggested the absence of compaction. Increasing the DoA increased the permeance of the polar aprotic solvents, whereas the permeance of the polar protic solvents showed the opposite trend. The hydrophilicity of the membranes increased with a decrease in the DoA, whereas the glass transition temperature remained quasi-constant and excellent thermal stability was maintained. The separation performance was fine-tuned with a molecular weight cut-off that ranged from 325 to 950 g mol−1 as a function of the DoA. Our results offer new avenues for tailoring solvent-resistant membrane materials from renewable polymers and solvents for application in harsh organic media.

Cellulose nanofiber-poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposite membrane from waste materials for treatment of petroleum industry wastewater.

Petroleum industry wastewater contains high level of crude oil and other types of organic substances that can cause immense harm to the agriculture, aquatic as well as terrestrial organisms. Organic solvent resistance of membranes is very important to treat such wastewater that contains high level of organic pollutants. This work reports the designing of a superhydrophilic and organic solvent resistant nanocomposite membrane using waste bottles made of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and cellulosic papers. Using in-situ synthesized cellulose nanofibers we could successfully fabricate porous membranes which is not possible for bare PET matrix using water as nonsolvent. Thus, we could successfully replace methanol which was used as a suitable non-solvent in earlier reports by distilled water. We successfully used the membrane for separation of synthetic crude oil-water emulsion. The membrane showed permeability up to 98 Lm-2h-1 applying pressure of 1.5bar. The membrane also achieved removal of more than 97% of organic substances from a crude oil-water emulsion system. The optimum membrane also showed good thermal stability with initial degradation temperature ∼350 °C and tensile strength of 0.86MPa. The antimicrobial property of the nanocomposite membranes could be achieved by coating its surface with carbon dots rooted graphene oxide.

A new-generation poly (ether imide sulfone) based solvent resistant ultrafiltration membrane for a sustainable production of silica nanopowder

The work presented here demonstrated the feasibility of using a membrane to improve the sustainability of silica nanopowder production. Due to superior chemical resistance, high thermal-oxidative stability, and good processability, poly (ether imide sulfone) has been used for membrane production and modified with amine-functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles. The membrane demonstrated good long-term leaching stability in 40% ethanol and silica synthesis solution and maintained its permeability and rejection characteristics under static and dynamic conditions. Additionally, the high antifouling property of the membrane allowed recovering 99.5% of the nanoparticles. Backwashing with water resulted in a high flux recovery ratio (>93%), and gravity-settling without energy can easily separate silica nanoparticles and water in the backwashing solution. Compared to classical freeze-drying and oven-drying methods, integrating membrane into silica nanopowder production can reduce energy consumption by a factor of 81 and 53. At the same time, the utility cost can be saved by 80% and 69%. Additionally, the solvent and catalyst recovered in the permeate stream can be reused in the synthesis, reducing disposal and purchasing costs. In conclusion, membrane-assisted nanopowder production can minimize the adverse effects caused by commonly used conventional drying methods and make the process more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Selective Destruction of Soluble Polyurethaneimide as Novel Approach for Fabrication of Insoluble Polyimide Films.

Polymeric coatings and membranes with extended stability toward a wide range of organic solvents are practical for application in harsh environments; on the other hand, such stability makes their processing quite difficult. In this work, we propose a novel method for the fabrication of films based on non-soluble polymers. The film is made from the solution of block copolymer containing both soluble and insoluble blocks followed by selective decomposition of soluble blocks. To prove this concept, we synthesized copolymer [(imide)n-(polyurethane)]m, in which the imide blocks were combined with polyurethane blocks based on polycaprolactone. By selective hydrolysis of urethane blocks in the presence of acid, it was possible to obtain the insoluble polyimide film for the first time. It was shown that the combination of thermal and acid treatment allowed almost complete removal of urethane blocks from the initial copolymer chains. IR spectroscopy, TGA, DSC and DMA methods were used to study the evaluation of the structure and properties of polymeric material as a result of thermal oxidation and hydrolysis by acid. It was shown that the polymeric films obtained by controlled decomposition were not soluble in aprotic solvent, such as dimethylformamide, n-methylpyrrolidone and dimethyl sulfoxide, and showed very close similarity to the homopolymer consisting of the same imide monomer, poly-(4,4′oxydiphenylene)pyromellitimide, confirming the feasibility of the proposed concept and its perspectives for fabrication of organic solvent-resistant membranes.

Hydrophobic ceramic membranes fabricated via fatty acid chloride modification for solvent resistant membrane distillation (SR-MD)

Solvent resistant membrane distillation (SR-MD) is a novel technology to effectively separate water from waste streams containing solvents with high boiling points, avoiding the high chemical costs and release of harmful gas in conventional treatments. Ceramic membranes are promising for this process as they are highly stable chemically but they require modification to tune the hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity. However, the widely used silanization for hydrophobic modification often involves expensive chemicals and may produce toxic substances. Here, we present a new hydrophobic modification method with the use of fatty acid chloride (FAC), as a greener and cheaper alternative to silanes. In the grafting reaction, the acyl chloride groups react with the –OH groups on the ceramic membranes to form strong ester bonds. We successfully grafted stearoyl chloride (SC) and palmitoyl chloride (PC) on the ceramic tubular membranes. With long carbon chains grafted, the modified membranes exhibited high hydrophobicity with a water contact angle >141° and a liquid entry pressure >3 bar. When tested in SR-MD with a feed solution containing 50 wt% dimethyl sulfoxide, the PC-modified membrane demonstrated a flux of 3.2 kg m−2 h−1, with rejection >98% and separation factor >110 at 60 °C, and a high flux of 4.5 kg m−2 h−1 with rejection >96% at 70 °C. The FAC-modified membranes allow a cost-effective treatment of challenging wastewater containing organic solvents through SR-MD.

A novel and facile semi-IPN system in fabrication of solvent resistant nano-filtration membranes for effective separation of dye contamination in water and organic solvents

Numerous studies have been conducted to design and develop solvent-resistant nano-filtration membranes. In this research, an Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) system was used to obtain solvent-resistant membranes. For this purpose, hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) and multifunctional isocyanate (MFI) were incorporated as additives into the polyphenylsulfone membrane matrix and the achieved semi-IPN structure caused dimensional stability and solvent resistance in membranes. The structure and morphology of the membranes were investigated using Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier transform Infra-red (ATR-FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX), elemental mapping, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thermal properties of the membranes were studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the mechanical properties were measured and the increase in tensile strength in compare of pure membrane was proved. The membranes showed excellent stability in acetone, n-heptane and dimethylformamide solvents. The performance of the membranes was evaluated by the pure water flux (PWF), contact angle, swelling degree, porosity assessment and dye rejection tests and the result showed that the PWF decreased with increasing HTPB percentage up to 40 wt% while their efficiency in removing methylene blue and methyl orange dyes was improved significantly due to reduced membrane pore size. The fabricated membranes were more resistant to fouling because of their hydrophilic nature.

Development of Polyimide Based Solvent Resistant Membranes for Removal of Organic Solvents by Complexation Nanofiltration

Development of Polyimide Based Solvent Resistant Membranes for Removal of Organic Solvents by Complexation Nanofiltration

Controllable thermal annealing of polyimide membranes for highly-precise organic solvent nanofiltration

In this work, the design of robust polyimide (PI) membranes applicable for precise molecular sieving in organic solvents using an ingenious thermal annealing process is reported. In this method, a porous PI ultrafiltration membrane was used as precursor and the temperature was controlled at around the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PI. The crosslinking and relaxation of the polymer chains occurred simultaneously to facilitate in-situ healing of the pores on the surface to form a solvent-resistance, thin, and defect-free separation layer, without affecting the bulk structure. The resultant PI membrane showed superb sieving performance towards molecules with a narrow gap in the molecular weight around 300 Da (i.e., steep S-shape rejection curve), and acceptable permeabilities for many solvents (e.g., 1.5 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for acetone, and 0.76 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 for ethanol). These permselective performances conferred upon the membrane with great potential for precise organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN). Furthermore, a remarkable stability without obvious change in the perm-selective performances during long-term OSN application was displayed due to the crosslinked structure. This work demonstrated that thermal treatment is a useful and promising method to fabricate organic solvent resistant membranes with molecular-level sieving ability for highly-efficient OSN.

Single-step preparation of nanocomposite polyamide 6 hollow fiber membrane with integrally skinned asymmetric structure for organic solvent nanofiltration

An integrally skinned organic solvent-resistant membrane with asymmetric structure for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) application was developed via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) of nanocomposite polyamide 6. The nanocomposite polyamide 6 contains intercalated silicate sheets, which could improve the mechanical properties of the resultant membrane, as well as mitigate swelling after exposure in solvent. The influence of nanocomposite polyamide 6 composition of the hollow fiber membrane and the subsequent thermal annealing was investigated in this study. Crystallinity data revealed that polyamide 6 crystal formed during the TIPS process was primarily α-phase type, but the use of nanocomposite polymer initiated the formation of γ-type crystalline structure. Thermal annealing at 120 °C was also found to even promote a higher overall crystallinity of the membranes. The membranes were subjected for OSN operation with methanol (MeOH) as solvent and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) as the solute. The intercalated silicate sheets in the nanocomposite polyamide 6 brought about the dense outer surface and sublayer formation, resulting in higher mechanical properties and stability in MeOH; however, the membranes formed with purely nanocomposite polyamide 6 suffered from very low permeance, primarily due to the dense outer surface and sublayer. The membrane whose composition is 50% nanocomposite polyamide 6 exhibited MeOH permeance of 0.1 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and vitamin B12 rejection of over 99.0%. This work was able to provide how polymeric material, thermal annealing, and the resultant crystallinity could affect the membrane’s mechanical properties and filtration performance with solvent resistance.

Effective separation of water-DMSO through solvent resistant membrane distillation (SR-MD)

The treatment of organic waste or wastewater with high organic solvent content has been challenging in industries as it cannot be done effectively using conventional wastewater treatment technologies such as biodegradation and advanced oxidation process. Solvent resistant membrane distillation (SR-MD) was proposed as an energy-efficient alternative to treat these waste streams but its application is hampered by the lack of solvent-resistant membranes, and there is a research gap in studying the feeds with water-solvent mixtures. In this work, ceramic tubular membranes with different pore sizes and structures were molecularly grafted with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane to obtain hydrophobic ceramic membranes for SR-MD. The modified membranes exhibited excellent hydrophobicity and solvent resistant properties, and they were tested for SR-MD performance with a wide range of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) feed concentrations, from 3.5 to 85 wt%. The membranes exhibited a high DMSO rejection of >98% and the separation factor of >170, with permeation flux >4.4 kg m−2 h−1 when the DMSO concentration in feed was below 65 wt%. The separation performance was found strongly dependent on the evaporation step and the vapour-liquid equilibrium near the interface. The DMSO rejection was also comparable to pervaporation while the permeation flux was much higher at the feed concentration of 50 wt%. This study establishes the strategy of using SR-MD as a promising membrane process in treating complex industrial wastes with high organic solvent content.

Organic solvent resistant Kevlar nanofiber-based cation exchange membranes for electrodialysis applications

The development of organic solvent resistant ion exchange membranes (IEMs) with high ion conductivity is of significance for broader electrodialysis (ED) applications. In this work, a series of organic solvent resistant cation exchange membranes (CEMs) has been fabricated by splitting Kevlar fabrics into small and short nanofibers, followed by modifying with 4-amino-benzenesulfonic acid monosodium salt (ABS) and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) sodium salt (PSSMA) eater via amide condensation. By tuning the content of ABS, the as-prepared poly-p-phenylene terephthalamide sulfonated polymer (PAP) CEMs (PAP-CEMs) show high ion exchange capacities (up to 2.23 mmol⋅g−1), good electrochemical performance and desired capacity of cation/anion separation in ED. To evaluate the organic solvent resistance of as-prepared CEMs, PAP-CEMs were immersed in ethanol and acetone aqueous solutions for 48 h at room temperature, respectively. The investigation demonstrates that ED with the treated CEM (the optimized PAP-0.50 CEM) still exhibits high desalination efficiencies (81.2%, in 60% (Vethanol/Vwater) ethanol solution; 82.3%, in 60% (Vacetone/Vwater) acetone solution) and concentration efficiencies (57.4%, in 60% ethanol solution; 50.9%, in 60% acetone solution). As a result, it is believed that the study here highlights a design of simple route for the preparation of CEMs, which can be potentially applied in ED for organic solvent solution systems.

Cross-Linked Polycarbonate Microfiltration Membranes with Improved Solvent Resistance.

In this study, we report a facile preparation of an organic solvent-resistant membrane through the formation of urethane bonds between polycarbonate and polyethyleneimine groups. The modified membrane was further cross-linked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDG) to enhance its solvent resistance as well as its thermal and mechanical stability. The cross-linked polycarbonate membranes exhibited improved solvent resistance with various organic solvents, giving a maximum swelling degree of 6%. It also showed better mechanical and thermal stability, as well as excellent permeance and rejection performance. This study demonstrates BDG as an attractive cross-linker for polycarbonate microfiltration membranes to transform them toward organic solvent filtration applications.

In situ amphiphilic modification of thin film composite membrane for application in aqueous and organic solvents

Conventional support (uncrosslinked) based polyamide (PA) thin film composite (TFC) membranes are indispensable for desalination and purification of water. In addition to water purification, an emerging application of TFC membrane is the nanofiltration of organic solvents if the support layer is solvent resistant. However, solvent resistant PA TFC membranes show good permeate flux of polar solvents but low flux of non-polar solvents. We report that amphiphilic PA barrier layer is required to obtain good permeate flux of polar and nonpolar solvents. Herein, a facile approach for the in situ amphiphilic modification of PA layer of TFC membrane for application in aqueous and organic (polar and non-polar) medium is reported. Amphiphilic PA layers have been fabricated on conventional polysulfone (PSf) and solvent resistant polyimide (PI) supports. Interfacial polymerization (IP) between mixture of m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and MPD-capped polyethylene glycol (MPD-PEG-MPD) and mixture of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and TMC-capped polydimethylsiloxane (TMC-PDMS-TMC) produces amphiphilic TFC membranes. Hydrophobic TFC membranes have been prepared by the IP between MPD and mixture of TMC and TMC-PDMS-TMC. The TFC membranes exhibit tunable water wetting behavior (water contact angle = 61-110o) depending on the composition of the organic phase. Amphiphilic TFC membranes show surface rearrangement/reconstruction behavior in contact with water and non-polar solvent. The amphiphilic membranes show good antifouling property with reduction of flux to about 14% and recovery in the flux to about 97% during desalination of water containing bovine serum albumin. The hydrophobic and amphiphilic TFC membranes (solvent resistant) showed significant improvement in the permeate flux of toluene and hexane. Particularly, amphiphilic solvent resistant membranes are suitable for application in water and nanofiltration of polar and non-polar solvents.