Environmental applications of graphene oxide composite membranes

Graphene oxide (GO) has been widely used in the modification of membranes due to its excellent properties, i.e., huge specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, good hydrophilicity and various functional groups. The addition of GO in membranes were proved to exhibit improved properties in water permeability, molecular selectivity, membrane fouling mitigation and contaminants decomposition. Recently, the development of laminated GO in membranes achieved both high selectivity and high water permeability, conquering the limitations of conventional polymeric or inorganic membranes. By analyzing the separation mechanisms and the performance of GO composite membranes, this review systematically summarized the applications of GO composite membranes in three highlighted areas of environmental fields: desalination, gas separation and wastewater treatment, with challenges discussed faced with GO composite membranes. (c) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Automated summary

Graphene oxide (GO) composite membranes have been widely used in membrane modification due to their excellent properties, such as huge specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, good hydrophilicity, and various functional groups. The addition of GO in membranes has been proven to improve water permeability, molecular selectivity, membrane fouling mitigation, and contaminants decomposition. Recently, the development of laminated GO in membranes has achieved both high selectivity and high water permeability, overcoming the limitations of conventional polymeric or inorganic membranes. This review systematically summarizes the applications of GO composite membranes in three highlighted areas of environmental fields: desalination, gas separation, and wastewater treatment, and discusses the challenges faced with GO composite membranes.