In this work, thin film composite polyamide (PA) membranes are modified by polyethyleneimine (PEI) and 2,6‐diaminopyridine (DAP) through sequential interfacial polymerization to fabricate contact active antibacterial membranes. The modified membranes show improved hydrophilicity and enhancement of zeta potential. Upon tethering with PEI and DAP onto the PA membranes, the membrane flux increases from 35.7 to 46.7 and 50.0 L m−2 h−1, respectively. Further the salt rejection rate improves from 96.6% to 98.0% and 98.8%, respectively. The PA‐PEI membranes have a better antibacterial performance than PA‐DAP, with a bacteria killing ratio for both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) over 96.7%, while a commercial LC LE‐4040 membrane presents bacteria killing ratio of 13.3% for E. coli and 8.4% for S. aureus, respectively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.