| 초록 |
Thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes based on the nanofiller-embedded polyamide (PA) layer have been extensively researched for the energy-efficient reverse osmosis (RO) desalination process. In particular, ZIF-8 has drawn intensive attention as a promising nanofiller for TFN membranes due to its high water permeability, narrow pore aperture (3.4 Å), and stability. In this study, we synthesized size-controlled ZIF-8 (60, 150, and 250 nm) and investigated the size effects on TFN membranes. Interestingly, we observed that ZIF-8 adhered on the support as one layer during the interfacial polymerization (IP), and larger particles showed a lower surface coverage due to a lower acceleration required for the particle removal. The interface area between ZIF-8 and PA matrix was varied with the particle size, which ultimately affected the RO performances. The results firstly revealed that the particle adhesion during IP should be considered for the future TFN membrane studies. |
