Motivation and background: The top ultrathin (～50-200 nm) active layer in the thin-film composite structure of reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes constitutes the main barrier to the permeation of water and solutes [1]. Existing models describing water permeation and contaminant rejection by RO and NF membranes have been used to fit experimental data [2, 3]; however, the models have not been used to make a priori predictions of membrane performance based on independent measurements of the physico-chemical properties of the membrane active layers. The recent development of characterization procedures [4-7] for the quantification of properties that are key parameters in current transport models have enabled using corresponding experimental results as input in the existing transport models to make a priori predictions of membrane performance.
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