Citation: Yaning Tian, Zhiwei Qiu, Ruobin Dai, Zhiwei Wang. Tailoring morphology and performance of polyamide nanofiltration membrane via nanobubble dissolution regulation[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(1): 111251. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111251 shu

Tailoring morphology and performance of polyamide nanofiltration membrane via nanobubble dissolution regulation

State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

dairuobin@tongji.edu.cn

Received Date: 11 November 2024
Revised Date: 21 February 2025
Accepted Date: 22 April 2025
Available Online: 22 April 2025

Figures(4)

Nanofiltration (NF) technology, with its capacity for nanoscale filtration and controllable selectivity, holds significant promise in diverse applications. However, the current upper bound of permeance and selectivity of NF membranes is intrinsically constrained by the morphology and structure of the polyamide (PA) selective layer. This issue arises because NF membranes typically exhibit relatively smooth nodular structures, which theoretically impede efficient water transport. In this study, we enhanced the formation of nanobubbles by synergistically regulating with surfactant and low temperatures, resulting in the fabrication of PA NF membranes with a crumpled morphology. We observed that lower temperatures promote enhanced gas solubility in the aqueous phase, facilitating increased nanobubble formation through the foaming effect of surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). Consequently, this resulted in the creation of PA NF membranes with more crumpled structures and superior performance, with pure water permeance reaching 36.25 ± 0.42 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1, representing an improvement of 14.47 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1 compared to the control group. Additionally, it maintains a high Na₂SO₄ rejection rate of 97.00% ± 0.58%. The PA NF membranes produced by eliminating nanobubbles and free interfaces exhibited a smooth structure, whereas introducing nanobubbles (through NaHCO₃ addition, N₂ pressurization, and ultrasonication) resulted in the formation of crumpled membranes. This emphasized that the large amount of nanobubbles generated by SDBS and low temperature in the interfacial process played a critical role in shaping crumpled PA NF membranes and enhancing membrane performance. This approach has the potential to provide valuable insights into customizing the structural design of TFC PA NF membranes, contributing to further advancements in this field.
- Nanofiltration,
- Polyamide membrane,
- Nanobubble,
- Crumpled structure,
- Dissolution regulation
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