Preparation and Characterization of a Thin-Film Composite Membrane Modified by MXene Nano-Sheets

MXene nano-sheets were introduced into a thin-film composite membrane (TFC) to reduce the mass transfer resistance (concentration polarization) and improve the membrane performance. The process entailed dissolving the MXene nano-sheets in a membrane casting solution using the blending method and introducing them into the porous support layer to prepare a modified thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC-FO) membrane. The results showed that the water contact angle decreased by about 16%, indicating that the hydrophilicity was strengthened, and the O/N ratio of the active selective layer decreased by 13%, indicating an increased degree of crosslinking, thereby demonstrating that the introduction of MXene nano-sheets changed the properties of the membrane and played a positive role in its physicochemical properties. In contrast to the unmodified TFC-FO membrane, the modified membrane had a slightly higher reverse solute flux, while its water flux increased by about 80%. Its specific reverse osmosis flux was also significantly optimized (only 0.63 g/L). In conclusion, adding MXene nanosheets to TFC-FO membranes led to the modified membranes with better mass transfer, lessened internal concentration polarization (ICP), and better osmotic separation.