Abstract: Forward osmosis (FO) membrane-based separation process forced by the osmotic pressure, is particularly attractive due to the lower energy consumption. The polyamide thin-film composite (TFC) membrane has achieved a dominant position in FO field. However, internal concentration polarization (ICP) is a serious challenge in the TFC FO membrane which causes the experimental water flux significantly lower than the theoretical value. Therefore, modification of the polyamide TFC membrane to reduce the ICP will be necessary to enhance the separation perfor-mance of FO. In this study, polysulfone (PSF) supporting membrane doped with graphite carbon nanoparticles was prepared by phase conversion method. Polyamide active layer was prepared via interfacial polymerization of m-phenylenediamine and trimesoyl chloride on the PSF surface of supporting layer to fabricate the thin-film composite (TFC) membrane. Scanning electron microscope and contact angle analyzer were used to characterize the PSF supporting membrane and TFC membrane. The results showed that the hydrophilicity and surface porosity of the graphite carbon nanoparticles incorporated PSF membrane was enhanced; the phenomenon of internal concentration polarization was abate; the corresponding permeability was improved and water flux increased. When the additional amount of graphite carbon nanoparticles was 0.01wt%, the water flux with the active layer toward the draw solution (AL-DS) reached 22.4 L/(m2·h), which increased by 96.7% compared with the unmodified FO membrane. It indicated that the new graphite carbon nanoparticles can effectively improve the forward osmosis separation performance of polyamide composite membrane.
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