Abstract A porous polyethylene (PE) membrane commercialized as a lithium ion battery separator was utilized as a support for the fabrication of a highly permeable and mechanically durable thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane. The highly open and interconnected pore structure of the PE support combined with its thin thickness (~8 µm) is beneficial for mitigating internal concentration polarization, thus enhancing FO water flux. The proper plasma treatment on the PE support and the use of a surfactant enabled the stable formation of a polyamide permselective layer on top of the support via a commercial interfacial polymerization process. The prepared PE-supported TFC (PE-TFC) membrane exhibited a remarkably high FO performance (~3.5 times higher water flux and ~35% lower specific salt flux than the commercial HTI-CTA membrane in FO mode) due to its significantly low structural parameter (~161 µm) and high permselectivity. The PE-TFC membrane also had superior mechanical properties compare to the much thicker commercial FO membrane due to the exceptionally high mechanical integrity of the PE support, ensuring the mechanically stable membrane operation. The proposed strategy offers a new material platform for FO membranes with strong commercial potential and excellent performance and durability.

中文翻译：

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使用聚乙烯锂离子电池隔膜制备的高渗透性和机械耐久性正渗透膜

摘要 作为锂离子电池隔膜商业化的多孔聚乙烯 (PE) 膜被用作制造高渗透性和机械耐用的薄膜复合 (TFC) 正向渗透 (FO) 膜的载体。PE 载体的高度开放和互连的孔结构与其较薄的厚度 (~8 µm) 相结合，有利于减轻内部浓差极化，从而提高 FO 水通量。PE 载体上的适当等离子体处理和表面活性剂的使用能够通过商业界面聚合工艺在载体顶部稳定形成聚酰胺选择性渗透层。制备的 PE 支持的 TFC（PE-TFC）膜表现出非常高的 FO 性能（~3. 与商用 HTI-CTA 膜在 FO 模式下相比，水通量高 5 倍，比盐通量低约 35%），因为其结构参数极低（~161 µm）和高渗透选择性。与更厚的商用 FO 膜相比，PE-TFC 膜还具有优异的机械性能，因为 PE 支撑具有极高的机械完整性，确保了机械稳定的膜操作。所提出的策略为具有强大商业潜力、优异性能和耐用性的 FO 膜提供了一个新材料平台。确保机械稳定的膜操作。所提出的策略为具有强大商业潜力、优异性能和耐用性的 FO 膜提供了一个新的材料平台。确保机械稳定的膜操作。所提出的策略为具有强大商业潜力、优异性能和耐用性的 FO 膜提供了一个新材料平台。