Novel beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD)/polyester thin film nanofiltration composite membranes were prepared via in situ interfacial polymerization of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and triethanolamine (TEOA) in the presence of beta-CD. The effects of the concentration and pendant group of beta-CD on the separation, morphology and anti-fouling performance of NF composite membrane were investigated. The results show that introducing an appropriate amount of beta-CD into membrane effectively improves the membrane performance. When the concentration of beta-CD is 1.8% (w/v) in the aqueous phase, the water flux of NF composite membrane reaches a value which is almost two times that of the bare polyester membrane, while maintaining the rejection to Na2SO4 at a relative high level. The NF composite membrane exhibits a remarkable increase in the negative charge density and salt rejection by the incorporation of sulfated beta-CD (s beta-CD) which possesses sulfonic acid groups as pendant groups instead of hydroxyls. Furthermore, the beta-CD/polyester NF composite membrane also presents a significant enhancement in the anti-fouling performance. Therefore, beta-CD can be considered as a potential additive to improve the property of nanofiltration composite membrane. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.