New Challenges in Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid population growth and the associated industrialization and food production have resulted in tremendously increased demand for the clean water. Today, thin-film composite (TFC) membranes (NF, RO) have become an important technique in producing and supplying clean water from different resources such as sea water, brackish water or contaminated fresh water. However, the separation active layer of these types of membranes, typically consisting of highly cross-linked polyamide prepared via interfacial polymerization, is susceptible to fouling and degradation by chlorine. The latter is periodically used for cleaning purposes. Furthermore, TFC membranes show a relatively low productivity and trade-off between water permeability and selectivity. In order to overcome these drawbacks, a broad variety of nanomaterials, either inorganic (e.g., CNT, MOF, metal oxides), metallic (e.g., Ag) or organic (e.g., cellulose), have encouraged considerable research activity in recent decades.

In order to achieve high efficacy, on the one hand, the right nanoparticles have to be chosen, and on the other hand, such nanoparticles must be properly incorporated into or at the surface of the separation active PA layer. In addition, the stability of the composites and environmental aspects such as toxicity have to be considered while preparing new thin-film nanocomposite membranes.

Therefore, the focus of this Special Edition of Coatings is set on the following topics:

• The preparation of stable nanocomposite TFC membranes.
• The effect of nanoparticles on membrane properties such as water permeability, selectivity and fouling behavior.
• The description of the mechanism of action of nanoparticles.
• Theoretical aspects and simulation and water/salt transport in nanoparticle-modified TFC membranes.

Dr. Jochen Meier-Haack
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.