Investigation on the Effect of GO Membrane Modification and Intercalation Regulation on Solute-Selective Separation

Journal: Architecture Engineering and Science DOI: 10.32629/aes.v7i2.5373

Hui Lin, Peixin Chen

Xiamen University, Xiamen 10384, Fujian, China

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes have attracted significant attention in water treatment and ion separation due to their tunable two-dimensional nanochannels. However, in practical applications, GO membranes often suffer from a trade-off between permeability and selectivity, which is strongly influenced by interlayer spacing and surface functional groups. Therefore, regulating the interlayer channels and chemistry is essential for improving their separation performance. In this study, GO membranes were modified by carboxylation and intercalation to investigate the relationship between membrane structure and separation performance. Firstly, the loading of GO and carboxylated graphene oxide (CGO) was optimized, and the optimal loading was determined to be 31 mg·m-2. CGO membranes exhibited better hydrophilicity and higher water flux due to the introduction of carboxyl groups. Subsequently, Ca2+ and ethylenediamine (EDA) were introduced for intercalation modification. Separation performance results demonstrated that an appropriate Ca2+ intercalation ratio significantly improved the rejection of NaCl, MgSO4, and PEG-600, while excessive addition reduced performance. In contrast, EDA intercalation decreased rejection but increased water permeability. In addition, all membranes exhibited higher rejection for MgSO4 than NaCl, indicating a charge-based separation effect..

Keywords

Graphene oxide;Carboxylation; Intercalation regulation; Selective separation

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Copyright © 2026 Hui Lin, Peixin Chen

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