Synthesis and Transport Mechanism of Reduced Graphene Oxide Membranes for Water Processing

In this thesis, a facile and efficient method has been developed to fabricate ultrathin freestanding rGO membranes for forward osmosis process. The rGO membranes achieve 3-4 times higher water flux than commercial FO membranes. In addition, the rGO membranes exhibit improved stability in aqueous solutions and have a high rejection of both organic and inorganic species. Further investigation into the mass transport mechanism in these membranes reveals that nanowrinkles are the fast channels for water molecules, while the inter-edge gaps are essential for the selective transport of water over salts in rGO membranes.