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Ultrahigh pressure compaction-resistant thin film crosslinked composite reverse osmosis membranes
Jishan Wu1,2, Javier A Quezada-Renteria1, Jinlong He3
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Nature Communications
|September 1, 2025
Summary
We developed novel thin-film crosslinked (TFX) composite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes that resist physical compaction under ultrahigh pressures. These advanced RO membranes maintain performance, offering significant improvements for water treatment technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are susceptible to physical compaction, limiting their performance under high pressures.
- Compaction reduces water permeance and can affect salt rejection in conventional RO membranes.
- Developing compaction-resistant membranes is crucial for enhancing the efficiency and longevity of RO systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new class of thin-film crosslinked (TFX) composite RO membranes designed to withstand ultrahigh pressures.
- To investigate the fabrication process and parameters influencing the performance of these TFX membranes.
- To evaluate the compaction resistance and salt rejection capabilities of TFX membranes compared to existing technologies.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of TFX membranes via crosslinking of a porous polyimide (PI) support followed by interfacial polymerization of a polyamide layer.
- Systematic exploration of phase inversion parameters (PI concentration, solvent ratios, coagulation bath) and interfacial polymerization conditions.
- Testing of TFX membranes under ultrahigh pressures (up to 200 bar) with varying NaCl concentrations (up to 180,000 mg/L).
Main Results:
- TFX membranes demonstrated significantly reduced physical compaction compared to hand-cast and commercial high-pressure RO membranes.
- Water permeance decline was less than 10% even at ultrahigh pressures.
- High salt rejection (over 99%) was maintained for NaCl solutions at 200 bar.
Conclusions:
- The developed TFX composite membrane structure offers superior compaction resistance at ultrahigh pressures.
- This technology has widespread implications for advancing reverse osmosis membrane applications, particularly in high-pressure desalination and water treatment.
- TFX membranes represent a promising advancement in RO technology, enabling more robust and efficient water purification processes.
