Reverse osmosis

=== Improving Current Membranes ===
Current RO membranes, thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes, are being studied to find ways of improving their permeability. Through new imaging methods, researchers were able to make 3D models of membranes and examine how water flowed through them. They found that TFC membranes with areas of low flow significantly decreased water permeability.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Culp |first1=Tyler E. |last2=Khara |first2=Biswajit |last3=Brickey |first3=Kaitlyn P. |last4=Geitner |first4=Michael |last5=Zimudzi |first5=Tawanda J. |last6=Wilbur |first6=Jeffrey D. |last7=Jons |first7=Steven D. |last8=Roy |first8=Abhishek |last9=Paul |first9=Mou |last10=Ganapathysubramanian |first10=Baskar |last11=Zydney |first11=Andrew L. |last12=Kumar |first12=Manish |last13=Gomez |first13=Enrique D. |date=January 2021 |title=Nanoscale control of internal inhomogeneity enhances water transport in desalination membranes |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb8518 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=371 |issue=6524 |pages=72–75 |doi=10.1126/science.abb8518 |pmid=33384374 |bibcode=2021Sci...371...72C |s2cid=229935140 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> By ensuring uniformity of the membranes and allowing water to flow continuously without slowing down, membrane permeability could be improved by 30%-40%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Desalination breakthrough could lead to cheaper water filtration |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201231141511.htm |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}}</ref>