The roles of oxygen-containing functional groups in modulating water purification performance of graphene oxide-based membrane

•We fabricated –COC- (E-GO), –OH (H-GO) and –COOH (C-GO) dominated GO, respectively.•GONMs with different oxygen groups were firstly studied by experimental method.•Different oxygen functional groups affect the D-spacing and water flux strongly.•Electrostatic interaction can enhance the dye rejection and antifouling property.