The Impacts of 2D Graphene Oxide on Selective and Substrate Layer of TFC Membrane: A Critical Review on Fabrication Techniques and Performance in Water Treatment

Polyamide thin film composite (TFC) membranes have been the gold standard of various industrial water and wastewater treatments since the 1980s. The excellent performance compared to the asymmetric membranes is due to its extremely thin cross-linked selective layer formed over a microporous substrate. Over the past decade, commercial TFC membranes have substantially advanced, e.g., water flux improvement without compromising salt rejection, enhanced anti-scaling resistance and greater boron rejection during desalination. Findings from numerous research studies indicate that the performance of TFC membranes could be further enhanced via the incorporation of 2D graphene oxide (GO) into the membrane matrix. Different strategies have been developed to address the inherent limitations of both selective and substrate layers of the membrane, promising to further augment membrane surface characteristics and thereby treatment efficiencies. Given the importance of TFC membranes for water/wastewater treatment, this article aims to provide a state-of-the-art review on the development of GO-incorporated polyamide TFC membranes, with an emphasis on the incorporation techniques of GO, and the corresponding roles in improving the properties of the selective and substrate layers. This review offers guidance in designing TFC membranes embedded with GO for higher performance.