The water shortage dilemma urges the development of nanofiltration (NF) membranes with improved performance that surpasses the trade-off between rejection and flux. This study explores the synthesis of MXene nanosheets and their characterization and subsequent incorporation into polysulfone (PSf)-polyamide (PA) membranes to develop thin-film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes with enhanced nanofiltration performance. The effects of MXene loading at different stages- within the PSf support and PA selective layer- on the membrane\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s morphological, physicochemical, and performance characteristics were systematically investigated. Results indicated that MXene incorporation significantly influenced membrane structure, increasing surface hydrophilicity, roughness, and charge density. Nanofiltration experiments demonstrated improved water permeability and salt rejection performance, particularly for membranes with MXene introduced into the PA layer. The highest pure water flux (PWF) of 43.12 L/m²h was obtained for the TFNC membrane where MXene was incorporated into the PSf support and the m-phenylenediamine (MPD) solution, which was 4 times as much as the MXene-free thin-film composite (TFC) membrane. This membrane also provided the highest rejection for solutes, with 98.32% for Na2SO4 and 99.13% for methyl orange. Additionally, MXene-modified membranes exhibited superior antifouling properties, as reflected in higher flux recovery ratios (FRR). These findings highlight the potential of MXene as an effective nanofiller for fabricating advanced membranes with enhanced permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance.

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