Preparation and Characterization of CA/GO Mixed Matrix Forward Osmosis Membranes

In this paper, a novel mixed matrix forward osmosis (FO) membrane was fabricated by introducing graphene oxide (GO) into the cellulose acetate (CA)- based casting solution using phase inversion methods. The factors---GOcontent and blending temperature were tested for their effects on pure water flux and reverse salt flux of FO membranes. The results showed that the mixed matrix FO membrane prepared under optimized composition had excellent desalination performance (high pure water flux = 16.0 L/m(2) . h and the reverse salt flux was below 7 g/m(2). h). Moreover, SEM images showed that addition of GO resulted in mixed matrix FO membrane with a smoother surface. The contact angle of the membranes decreased from 71.6 degrees to 58.2 degrees with increase GO concentration from 0% to 0.15%.