ABSTRACT
The development of polyamide thin film composite membranes through the interfacial polymerization technique, pioneered by John Cadotte and his team in the early 1970s, represents a milestone in the field of membrane science and technology. This breakthrough is often considered on par with the historical advancement made by Sidney Loeb and Srinivasa Sourirajan in the 1960s with the introduction of asymmetric membranes made from the phase inversion technique. The interfacial polymerization technique enables the creation of thin film composite membranes with remarkable characteristics. By employing this method, an ultrathin cross-linked polyamide layer, often just several hundreds of nm thick, can be formed on top of a microporous substrate. This results in thin film composite membranes that offer an excellent balance between water flux and salt rejection, especially when compared to the earlier asymmetric cellulose triacetate membranes used in desalination processes.
