Abstract <p>Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of emerging contaminants. These contaminants are difficult to degrade, making long-term exposure to PFAS harmful to health. In recent years, PFAS have been regulated by governments worldwide. Common treatment methods for PFAS-contaminated water include adsorption, filtration, and degradation. The filtration mechanism for PFAS includes molecular electrostatic repulsion, electrostatic attraction (promote adsorption), membrane hydrophobicity, and pore size exclusion. The key opportunity of membrane filtration is its high removal efficiency, but the challenge is operating costs need to be reduced before widespread application. One way to reduce energy consumption, and thereby costs, is to develop membranes with higher specific fluxes while maintaining the PFAS removal rate. The use of electroassisted membrane-based treatment methods for PFAS removal could also be explored.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>