Fabrication of polymeric nanocomposite forward osmosis membranes for water desalination—A review

Abstract

Abstract Osmosis has started discovering technical application in the developing membrane technologies like Forward Osmosis and Pressure-Retarded Osmosis. It is the natural motion of solvent through a semi-permeable membrane caused by a highly concentrated solute gradient. Such technologies use thin-film membranes supported by porous layers and scalable membrane materials which open the door to new generation membrane developments. Membrane fabrication has a strong connection with the membrane surface properties and performance such as pore structure, hydrophilicity, surface roughness and water flux. This article provides a perspective on the current efforts in membrane fabrication and application of nanocomposite membranes for water treatment. Thin-film nanocomposite membranes have been employed to tailor membrane with enhanced selectivity, permeability, internal concentration polarization, fouling and stability. The main focus of this review is on how membrane science and emerging nanomaterials have been applied for forward osmosis desalination and water purification to meet the increasing worldwide demands for water.