Polyamide-zinc oxide-based thin film nanocomposite membranes: Towards improved performance for forward osmosis

In this study, polyamide (PA)-zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite membrane was fabricated by
embedding various amounts of ZnO nanoparticles (ranging from zero to 1.0 wt%) into the
membrane matrix. Interfacial polymerization method was used to prepare thin film
nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for forward osmosis (FO) application. The effect of ZnO
nanoparticles on the chemical structures and compositions of synthesized membranes was
studied using FT-IR spectroscopy, atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron
microscopy (SEM). Moreover, the performance of the fabricated membranes (water flux) and
hydrophilicity were investigated using NaCl powder solution and contact angle measurements,
respectively. Experimental results showed that the water flux of prepared membranes remarkably
enhanced after the addition of ZnO nanoparticles. All as-prepared TFN membranes exhibited an
enhanced desalination performance in FO systems as compared to the original thin-film
composite (TFC) polyamide membrane.