The Veiled Impacts of H plus on Interfacial Polymerization and Its Effects on Nanofiltration Performance

Notwithstanding the adaptability and accessibility of nanofiltration (NF) membranes, a development trend is on-demand tailoring of separation performance. Herein, the H+ impacts on retarding interfacial polymerization (IP) are investigated and promisingly used to scale up negatively charged functional NF membranes. As such, a combination of competent pore size with strongly intensified charge effects is achievable for NF membranes to be applied in specified scenarios, such as purifying potable water by selectively separating emerging contaminants from mineral ions. Not only limited to the performance improvement but also, very interestingly, the H+-induced unique double effects, affecting diffusion and reaction processes of IP, were first unveiled by examining the morphological and structural variations of polyamide layers. Without macromolecules or other templates, crater or platelet-like structures evolve from regular nodular structures on the membrane surface. Furthermore, H+ alleviating violent IP intrinsically provides complementary insights into perceiving the well-known IP.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of H+ on retarding interfacial polymerization (IP) and successfully applies it to scale up negatively charged functional NF membranes. The H+-induced double effects on diffusion and reaction processes of IP are examined by studying the morphological and structural variations of polyamide layers. Furthermore, the alleviation of violent IP by H+ provides complementary insights into understanding the well-known IP.