“…However, pure GO membranes are prone to swell and collapse in water condition. To strengthen the structural stability of GO membranes, a large amount of cross-linking agents were applied, including polymers (Chen et al 2014;Cheng et al 2017;Pan, 2020;Park et al 2009;Suri et al 2019;Tian et al 2013), small molecules (An et al 2011;Feng et al 2016;Hung, 2014;Jia et al 2016;Liu et al 2020;Qian et al 2018;Wang, 2016b;Zhang et al 2020Zhang et al , 2015, ions (Chen, 2017;Gao et al 2019;Lin and Chen 2021;Park et al 2008;Yu et al 2017) and nano materials (Cho, 2019;Dong et al 2020;Shi, 2019;Xi et al 2016). Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a kind of hydrophilic and flexible polymer, and abundant amino group endows PEI molecules with positive charge.…”