Assessment of atomic force microscopy for characterisation of nanofiltration membranes

► AFM combined with carbon nanotube probe was used to characterise P84 co-polyimide NF membranes. ► Measured nodule size correlates well with NF performance. ► It was showed through control experiments that the AFM lateral resolution is too low to measure the pore size. ► Phase imaging can provide information on the polymer chain internal packing that is correlative with solute rejection.