In this study, molecular layer deposition (MLD) was used as a novel and highly controllable method to prepare TiO2 nanofiltration membranes with approximately 1 nm pores for water purification. Number of deposition cycles and precursors (TiCl4 and ethylene glycol) were used to control membrane quality and final pore sizes, respectively. Optimized TiO2 nanofiltration membranes had a pure water permeability as high as similar to 48 L/(m(2) h bar). Salt and dye rejection measurements showed moderate rejection of Na2SO4 (43%) and MgSO4 (35%) and high rejection of methylene blue (similar to 96%). In addition, natural organic matter (NOM) removal testing showed high rejection (similar to 99%) as well as significantly improved antifouling performance and recovery capability. MLD, as a new TiO2 nanofiltration membrane preparation technique, has great potential to realize excellent control of membrane composition, thickness, and potentially pore sizes in a scalable way. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.