TFX technology

Material architecture makes the difference.

TFX is a thin-film crosslinked membrane platform designed to resist irreversible deformation of the porous support under demanding operating conditions.

Explore published performance

Schematic composite membrane with a gold selective layer, orange porous support, and pale backing. — TFX schematic from the brine-concentration brochure. Not to scale.

FROM THERMOPLASTIC TO THERMOSET

Support the selective layer. Preserve the separation.

Conventional thin-film composite (TFC) membranes commonly place a polyamide selective layer over a thermoplastic porous support and a backing fabric. The TFX platform crosslinks the porous support to create a thermoset composite architecture.

The 2025 pressure study connected this architecture to reduced compaction under the reported laboratory conditions. (Wu et al., 2025)

Selective layerPolyamide film provides the water-salt separation.

Crosslinked porous supportThe core material innovation targets permanent support deformation.

Backing fabricSupports handling and incorporation into a composite membrane format.

MATERIAL COMPARISON

Two support architectures. Different design intent.

CONVENTIONAL TFC

Thermoplastic porous support

Support deformation can reduce water permeance. The supplied microscopy illustrates this failure mode in a conventional membrane.

Polyamide selective filmThermoplastic porous supportBacking fabric

TFX

Crosslinked thermoset support

The TFX platform targets resistance to irreversible compaction while retaining a composite membrane format.

Polyamide selective filmCrosslinked thermoset porous supportBacking fabric

WHY COMPACTION MATTERS

The failure mode is physical.

Conventional membrane cross-section before compaction; original thickness annotation and 10 micrometer scale bar retained.

Conventional membrane cross-section after compaction; original thickness annotation and 10 micrometer scale bar retained.

Company-supplied conventional TFC cross-sections from the brine-concentration brochure, slide 2. Original annotations and 10 µm scale bars are retained. These are not TFX before-and-after images and do not establish an element service-life rating.

FROM MATERIAL TO ELEMENT

A familiar format. A duty-specific qualification.

Cutaway illustration showing membrane sheets around a spiral-wound element tube. — Generic spiral-wound configuration illustration; not a TFX manufacturing drawing.

8040-format element development

The product portfolio includes 8-inch spiral-wound elements and flat-sheet membrane. Standard geometry provides an integration pathway; it does not establish that an existing pressure vessel, pump, seal, or piping system is rated for a higher duty.

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MEMBRANE EVALUATION · PROTOTYPE ELEMENTS · PILOT PARTNERSHIPS

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