The peculiar two-dimensional structure and chemical properties of GO offer a facile stacking method for
preparing this new type of membrane. In this study, GO membranes were made using the pressure-assisted
fi
ltration method, which was cross-linked by three diamine monomers on a polyethersulfone (PES) support.
The prepared GO membranes had a well stacked layer structure that was formed by nanosheets and were stable
because they were covalently bonded by cross-linking. The effects of various diamine monomers on the synthe-
sized membrane were analyzed using several characterization methods, including Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic contact angle (CA) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray
photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The performance of the GO membranes for
removing natural organic matter (NOM) was investigated in detail. The permeate water was analyzed for
dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance (UV
254
), molecular weight distribution (MWD) and
fl
uorescence excitation
–
emission matrices (EEMs). The results showed that C
–
N covalent bonds formed between
the GO and diamine and effectively suppressed the interlayer spacing and stretching, which resulted in the best
ethylenediamine performance. Overall, the ultrathin GO composite membrane not only effectively removed
various contaminants from the NOM, but also quali
fi
ed the water
fl
ux and fouling resistance performance.