Fabrication and characterization of thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration membranes incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) for enhanced desalination performance and dye removal

In this study, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were incorporated into a polyamide (PA) layer to prepare novel thin film composite (TFC) nanofiltration membranes (CNC-TFC-Ms). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed differences in the surface morphologies of the CNC-TFC-Ms compared with that of a control membrane (TFC-control-M). The pore size distribution (PSD) results showed that the CNC-TFC-Ms exhibited smaller pore sizes and...