Research progress on process optimization for preparation of polyamide thin-film composite membrane by interfacial polymerization

Polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membrane prepared via interfacial polymerization (IP) has been extensively used in water treatment due to its advantages of high permeability, high separation selectivity and good chemical stability. The separation performance of PA TFC membrane is mainly determined by the physical structure and chemical properties of the PA skin layer, which can be improved by regulating and optimizing the IP process. Hence, this review focused on the relationship between the physicochemical properties of the PA layer and the separation performance of the TFC membrane, and summarized the research progress on IP-based membrane preparation from three aspects: modification of membrane substrate, regulation of monomers reaction process and post-treatment of PA layer. By analyzing the influence of monomer mass transfer on the IP reaction as well as the relationship between membrane structure and performance, the regulation mechanisms and methods of the IP process to prepare PA TFC membranes were summarized, which provided fundamental theories and perspectives for further improvement of the separation performance of PA TFC membrane. © 2020, Chemical Industry Press. All right reserved.