The improvement of antibiofouling properties of a reverse osmosis membrane by oxidized CNTs

Polyvinylamine-grafted polyamide reverse osmosis membrane with improved antifouling property

“…7, this is probably because the grafted PVAm polymer tends to form a polymer brush layer, and the additional hydraulic resistance of the polymer brush layer is probably lower than that of the cross-linked PVA coating layer. This is consistent with the previous studies [24,30]. A promising speculation is that if the PVAm grafting method in this work is applied to the posttreatment of commercial RO membranes, smaller influence on the membrane water flux reduction might be seen compared with the traditional PVA coating process.…”

“…As shown in Fig. 3a, The bands at 1664, 1608, and 1540 cm À 1 corresponding to C¼ O stretching (amide I), hydrogen bonded C ¼O stretching (amide I), and N-H in-plane bending (amide II), respectively, are characteristic for the aromatic polyamide in the active layer [30]. The band at 1245 cm À 1 corresponding to Ar-O-Ar stretching (Ar denotes an aromatic ring) is characteristic for the polysulfone in the support layer [31].…”

Recent advances in the development of (bio)fouling resistant thin film composite membranes for desalination

“…Therefore, carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been introduced as an alternative strategy since they have been demonstrated to inactivate bacteria upon contact with bacterial cells [36][37][38]. Graphene, comprising single-atomthick sheets of sp 2 -bonded carbon, has received much attention for a new generation of carbon nanomaterials due to its inherent smoothness, atomic-level thickness, and high water slip length [36,39,40].…”

“…8, proved that the cells attached to the GO-TFC membrane demonstrate compromised integrity and appear to be flattened or shrunk compared to cells attached to the control-TFC membrane. On the other hand, CNTs have also been selected to be applied on the PA surface due to the biocidal properties that can damage the membranes of microorganisms and disrupt their metabolic pathways accompanied by oxidative stress, subsequent inactivation and/or death of the microorganisms [38]. Kim et al [38] prepared TFC RO membranes having anti-(bio)fouling properties by the deposition of oxidized CNTs followed by coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA).…”

“…On the other hand, CNTs have also been selected to be applied on the PA surface due to the biocidal properties that can damage the membranes of microorganisms and disrupt their metabolic pathways accompanied by oxidative stress, subsequent inactivation and/or death of the microorganisms [38]. Kim et al [38] prepared TFC RO membranes having anti-(bio)fouling properties by the deposition of oxidized CNTs followed by coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The PA-CNT-PVA membrane showed enhanced durability and mechanical properties relative to the control membrane.…”