Modification strategy of thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis membrane by introducing CNTs-ODA

The purpose of this study was to characterize the novel thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Generally in FO membrane construction, the water flux is mainly determined by the support layer, while the selectivity is by the active layer of the FO membrane. Therefore, both support and active layer designing are overemphasized by addressing new materials and modifications of them to overcome the main challenges of FO processes. In this regard poly(dioxanone), select as a material used in support layer fabrication and polyamide (PA) active layer modified with carbon nanotubes-octadecylamine (CNTs-ODA). The effect of CNTs-ODA concentration was investigated on the roughness, membrane morphology, chemical composition, and FO performance. It was found that the addition of modified CNTs in the manufacturing of the FO membrane undoubtedly enhances the water flux, reduces reverse salt flux, and minimizes the membrane fouling. Also, this modification has more comprehensive potential to changes the selectivity of TFN FO membranes.