The use of layer-by-layer technique in the fabrication of thin film composite membranes for water treatment

Abstract

Membranes provide advantages over other water treatment technologies, such as disinfection, distillation, or media filtration, due to their ease of operation, which does not require chemical additives, thermal inputs, or the regeneration of spent media. Ideal separation membranes should overcome the trade-off between selectivity and permeability while providing long-term stability. To achieve this task, it is necessary to form an ultra-thin defect free active separation layer on top of a highly permeable, mechanically strong support membrane. The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique has great potential for the fabrication of ultra-thin defect free membranes with improved permeation and rejection properties, since the thickness and morphology of the membrane can be easily controlled. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK.