Organically Modified Nanoclay Filled Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes for Reverse Osmosis Application

This study validates, for the first time, the effectiveness of two nanoclays, that is, cloisite (CS)-15A and montmorillonite (MNT) at the polyamide (PA) active layer in the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. Cloisite-15A is natural montmorillonite modified with dimethyl dihydrogenated tallow quaternary ammonium salt. Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes were fabricated by the interfacial polymerization (IP) process between the trimesoylchloride (TMC)-n-hexane solution and m-phenylenediamine (MPD)-aqueous solution; the IP process took place on a polysulfone support sheet. The two types of nanoparticles were added in various weight ratios (0.005 wt.%-0.04 wt.%) in the n-hexane solution of TMC. Different characterizations like X-ray diffraction (XRD), contact angle, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and membrane performance tests were performed to analyse the membrane properties. Both XRD and TEM studies proved that the two nanoclays are successfully anchored at the different sites of the PA layer. CS-15A could accelerate the water flux from 15 to 18.65 L/m²·h with NaCl rejection enhancement from 72% to 80%, relative to the control membrane. Conversely, MNT also enhanced the flux from 15 to 40 L/m²·h, but NaCl rejection reduced from 70% to 23%. The mechanism of water uptake in nanoclays was also discussed. The results pave the way for a complete future study, in which these phenomena should be studied in great detail.