Patent ID: 7479300

Claim:
A method of making a composite reverse osmosis membrane, said method comprising the steps of: (a) coating a porous support with an aqueous solution comprising a polyfunctional amine so as to form a liquid layer on said porous support; (b) contacting said liquid layer with an organic solvent solution comprising an amine-reactive reactant selected from the group consisting of a polyfunctional acyl halide, a polyfunctional sulfonyl halide and a polyfunctional isocyanate so as to interfacially condense said amine-reactive reactant with said polyfunctional amine, thereby forming a cross-linked, interfacial polyamide layer on said porous support, wherein at least one of said aqueous solution and said organic solvent solution further comprises a polar compound selected from the group consisting of di(ethylene glycol) normal decyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal octyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) benzyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal heptyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal hexyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal pentyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal butyl methyl ether; di(ethylene glycol) normal propyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal decyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal octyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) benzyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal heptyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal hexyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal pentyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal butyl methyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) normal propyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal decyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal octyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) benzyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal heptyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal hexyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal pentyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal butyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) normal propyl methyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether; poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether wherein said poly(ethylene glycol) consists of (ethylene glycol) homologues greater than tetra(ethylene glycol); di(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether; tri(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether; tetra(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether; poly(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether wherein said poly(ethylene glycol) consists of (ethylene glycol) homologues greater than tetra(ethylene glycol); and mixtures thereof, and (c) drying the product of step (b) to form a composite reverse osmosis membrane.