Hybrid 2D WS2/GO nanofiltration membranes for finely molecular sieving

Abstract

Abstract Hybrid WS2/GO two-dimensional membranes were developed to achieve finely molecular sieving. The size of nanochannels in WS2 membrane became smaller and more regular after the introduction of GO nanosheets into WS2 membrane according to XRD and separation results. The hydrated hybrid WS2/GO membrane with 15\u202fwt% GO (GO15WS2) exhibited high rejection (>90%) for dyes and ions with a hydrated radius above 4.9\u202fA. A water permeance of 159.6\u202fL/m2·h·bar and a Methylene Blue (MnB) rejection of 96.3% were achieved through hydrated hybrid GO15WS2 membrane, which was excellent compared with reported two-dimensional membranes based on TMDs. Moreover, the nanochannels in GO15WS2 membrane also presented strong rigidity under a pressure loading up to 0.5\u202fMPa. In addition, the half-dried GO15WS2 membrane possessed high tolerance to shear stress, and the separation performance changed slightly during a 120 h-cross-flow filtration, which made the hybrid GO15WS2 membrane promising in water filtration.