Recent advances in surface tailoring of thin film forward osmosis membranes: A review
Javad Farahbakhsh, Mitra Golgoli, Mehdi Khiadani, Mohadeseh Najafi, Wafa Suwaileh, Amir Razmjou, Masoumeh Zargar
Abstract
The recent advancements in fabricating forward osmosis (FO) membranes have shown promising results in desalination and water treatment. Different methods have been applied to improve FO performance, such as using mixed or new draw solutions, enhancing the recovery of draw solutions, membrane modification, and developing FO-hybrid systems. However, reliable methods to address the current issues, including reverse salt flux, fouling, and antibacterial activities, are still in progress. In recent decades, surface modification has been applied to different membrane processes, including FO membranes. Introducing nanochannels, bioparticles, new monomers, and hydrophilic-based materials to the surface layer of FO membranes has significantly impacted their performance and efficiency and resulted in better control over fouling and concentration polarization (CP) in these membranes. This review critically investigates the recent developments in FO membrane processes and fabrication techniques for FO surface-layer modification. In addition, this study focuses on the latest materials and structures used for the surface modification of FO membranes. Finally, the current challenges, gaps, and suggestions for future studies in this field have been discussed in detail. • The existing challenges in traditional forward osmosis (FO) membranes are discussed. • Surface modification of FO membranes (e.g., surface grafting and coating) are evaluated. • Remarkable flux improvements (ranging from 17% to 80%) have been reported for surface modified FO membranes. • Novel additives and biomimetic membranes are evaluated for FO membranes' surface tailoring. • The influence of nanochannels on the performance of FO membranes is investigated.