Fabrication of Robust Forward Osmosis Membrane by Assembling FeO_xCl_y Nanoparticles

Abstract

Owing to its inherent advantages like low‐energy consumption, low‐fouling propensity, and high recovering ability over high‐pressure‐driven membrane processes, the future of membrane technology is shifting toward forward osmosis (FO). However, the utility of FO in challenging areas is hindered by the lack of suitable FO membranes. Here, the development of innovative FO membranes by depositing weakly magnetic and positively charged FeOxCly nanoparticles on a negatively charged nylon membrane (FeOx‐Nyl) is reported. Remarkably, the FeOx‐Nyl membrane possesses outstanding stability in an aqueous medium and survived in both acidic (pH = 3.3) and basic (pH = 12.2) solutions. Upon varying the loading amount of FeOxCly, the water flux of the FeOx‐Nyl membrane varies from 27.8 to 61.3 LMH (from 5 to 30 mg). Due to its hydrophilic nature, the FeOx‐Nyl membrane exhibits excellent flux recovery rates (FRR), up to ≈70%. The outstanding robustness and high flux of FeOx‐Nyl are exploited in challenging applications like recovering reactive chemical wastes and dehydration of acetic acid.