articleEnvironmental Science & TechnologyJan 7, 2026Closed access

Interface-Engineered Nanohybrid Membranes for Selective Boron Removal from Brackish Water and Seawater Reverse Osmosis Permeate

National University of Singapore · Tongji University · +5 more institutions

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Abstract

Conventional reverse osmosis (RO) membranes have poor boron rejection at neutral pH due to the small size and neutrality of boric acid. To overcome this issue, we have developed a nanoconfined transport layer by coassembling cyclodextrin-MOF and exfoliated LDH nanosheets within the polyamide layer. Cyclodextrin-MOF offers adsorption sites and steric hindrance that temporarily retain boron species, while single-layer LDH forms hydrophilic channels for fast water transport, together creating a dual-channel mechanism for efficient boron-water separation. The optimized membrane has a boron rejection of 82.24% and a NaCl rejection of 99.27% using a feed containing 5 ppm of boron and 2,000 ppm of NaCl. In addition,…

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11
total citations
FWCI
151.05
Percentile
100%
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50
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Authors

7

Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Boron
  • Membrane
  • Boric acid
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Permeation
  • Seawater
  • Adsorption
  • Brackish water
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Life below water
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