Enhancing the permeability and selectivity of graphene oxide membrane through polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane intercalation for textile wastewater treatment.

Graphene oxide-based loose nanofiltration membranes have shown significant potential in nanofiltration processes due to their unique 2D mass transfer nanochannels. However, they still suffer from poor structural stability and overly compact laminar stacking. To address these issues, a novel AP-POSS was intercalated into GO-based membrane to construct a tuned interlayer structure and mass transfer characteristics. The aromatic ring structure of aminophenyl groups on AP-POSS act as hydrophobic side walls of the mass transfer channels between adjacent GO nanosheets, reducing the interaction between water molecules and channel structure. With an optimal amount of AP-POSS as an intercalator, the permeation flux of the prepared POSS-GO membrane could be improved by 30 wt% while maintaining nearly complete rejection of Congo Red (CR). Moreover, the prepared membrane exhibited enhanced structural stability, long-term stability, and a separation factor above 91.0 for CR/NaCl in binary solutions. Our study highlights the excellent performance of the POSS-GO membrane and demonstrates its potential application in dye/salt wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]