Fabrication and characterization of novel antimicrobial thin film nano‐composite membranes based on copper nanoparticles

Abstract

BACKGROUND Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are studied for the design of advanced nanocomposite membranes owing to their highly antimicrobial properties, specific catalytic and chemical activities, abundancy and low cost. In this work, thin film nanocomposite membranes (TFN) containing CuNPs in the polyamide (PA) layer were designed via a facile interfacial polymerization method. The nanoparticles were incorporated into an aqueous solution containing piperazine monomers which is poured on the top surface of the polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane followed by adding trimesoyl chloride to form a polymerized PA film. RESULTS The results show that the surface morphological structure investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images is subject to visible changes of surface morphology, with a rougher net‐like structure while analysis of the chemical structure using attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirms that the introduction of CuNPs did not impede the structure of the PA layer. The effect of addition of inorganic functionalized nanomaterials on the overall membrane performance was significant. The water flux was greatly increased (twice the original water permeability), while maintaining high retention of Na2SO4, demonstrating good performance in the range of nanofiltration (NF). Furthermore, the TFN membranes exhibited a specific antibacterial effect, reducing the number of living bacteria (Escherichia coli) by 94.0%. CONCLUSION Inorganic functionalization using CuNPs in the aqueous phase strongly enhanced membrane performance and provided the membrane surface with antimicrobial properties. This study suggests a new approach to TFN membrane research for the design of NF membranes for water treatment. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry

Development of Copper-Aluminum Layered Double Hydroxide in Thin Film Nanocomposite Nanofiltration Membrane for Water Purification Process

“…In comparison to PSf substrates, these bands were not distinguished. These features are similar to the thin film membrane fabricated by Li et al (2016, 2017) and Yahia Cherif et al (2018). All these characteristic bands show that the PA layer has been successfully formed on the surface of the PSf substrate.…”

MOF-808/Polyamide Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes for Efficient Nanofiltration

“…With a low amount of MOF-808 in the organic phase, its presence cannot affect the integrated polyamide network formed by the IP reaction; instead, it leads to the successful incorporation into the polyamide layer. Thus, the membrane surface presented a uniformly dispersed punctate structure . However, the higher the addition of MOF-808 nanoparticles, the easier the particle aggregation, resulting in a mixed structure containing the MOF nanocluster and polyamide layer.…”

“…47 This cross-linking degree may be related to the distribution of nanoparticles in the oil phase 48 in which the preoccupancy of MOF-808 in the water−oil interface blocked the process of the IP reaction, and therefore the polyamide layer developed into a loose structure. 49 However, when more excessive MOF-808s were incorporated, although this affected the polymerization of the polyamide, those nanoparticles aggregated on the membrane to form a cake-like layer, which will limit the transmission of water and will not be facilitated by the superiority of water permeance. 26 Therefore, there is an optimum incorporation amount for MOF-808 to improve the polyamide selective layer, which will be investigated with respect to its influence on filtration performance.…”

Review of Antimicrobial Nanocoatings in Medicine and Dentistry: Mechanisms of Action, Biocompatibility Performance, Safety, and Benefits Compared to Antibiotics

“…Other studies have confirmed the potent antibacterial activity of CuO NPs when applied as coatings against Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as antibiotic resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . LewisOscar et al demonstrated that CuO NPs had a strong antibiofilm effect, with a maximum of 94% biofilm inhibition against clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , at a concentration of only 0.1 μg mL –1 .…”