Patterned dense Janus membranes with simultaneously robust fouling, wetting and scaling resistance for membrane distillation

•Patterned PA-based dense Janus membrane with high performance was fabricated by a facile R-IP.•PA/PVDF Janus-2.0 showed anti-fouling/-wetting/-scaling properties without compromising flux.•Size-sieving effect, rather than breakthrough pressure, was probably the critical anti-wetting mechanism.•Superhydrophilic and dense enough surface layer was the key to scaling-resistant Janus membrane. Membrane fouling, wetting and scaling are three prominent challenges that severely hinder the practical applications of membrane distillation (MD). Herein, polyamide/polyvinylidene fluoride (PA/PVDF) Janus membrane comprising a hydrophobic PVDF substrate and a patterned dense PA layer by reverse interfacial polymerization (R-IP) was developed. Direct contact MD experiments demonstrated that PA/PVDF Janus membrane could exhibit simultaneously superior resistance towards surfactant-induced wetting, oil-induced fouling and gypsum-induced scaling without compromising flux. Importantly, the size-sieving effect, rather than the breakthrough pressure of the membrane, was revealed as the critical factor that probably endowed its resistance to wetting. Furthermore, a unique possible anti-scaling mechanism was unveiled. The superhydrophilic patterned dense PA layer with strong salt rejection capability not only prevented scale-precursor ions from intruding the substrate but also resulted in the high surface interfacial energy that inhibited the adhesion and growth of gypsum on the membrane surface, while its relatively low surface -COOH density benefited from R-IP process further ensured the membrane with a low scaling propensity. This study shall provide new insights and novel strategies in designing high-performance MD membranes and enable robust applications of MD facing the challenges of membrane fouling, wetting and scaling. [Display omitted]