Zwitterion Co-Polymer PEI-SBMA Nanofiltration Membrane Modified by Fast Second Interfacial Polymerization

Abstract

Nanofiltration membranes have evolved as a promising solution to tackle the clean water scarcity and wastewater treatment processes with their low energy requirement and environment friendly operating conditions. Thin film composite nanofiltration membranes with high permeability, and excellent antifouling and antibacterial properties are important component for wastewater treatment and clean drinking water production units. In the scope of this study, thin film composite nanofiltration membranes were fabricated using polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support and fast second interfacial polymerization modification methods by grafting polyethylene amine and zwitterionic sulfobutane methacrylate moieties. Chemical and physical alteration in structure of the membranes were characterized using methods like ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, XPS analysis, FESEM and AFM imaging. The effects of second interfacial polymerization to incorporate polyamide layer and ‘ion pair’ characteristics, in terms of water contact angle and surface charge analysis was investigated in correlation with nanofiltration performance. Furthermore, the membrane characteristics in terms of antifouling properties were evaluated using model protein foulants like bovine serum albumin and lysozyme. Antibacterial properties of the modified membranes were investigated using E. coli as model biofoulant. Overall, the effect of second interfacial polymerization without affecting the selectivity layer of nanofiltration membrane for their potential large-scale application was investigated in detail.

Zwitterionic Polymer Brush Grafted on Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membrane Promoting Enhanced Ultrafiltration Performance with Augmented Antifouling Property

“…The new absorption peak at 1726 cm −1 exists due to the C=O stretch vibration of PSBMA in the interaction with the membrane surface. The present peak at 1040 cm −1 can be attributed to the symmetric stretch vibrations of sulfonate (SO 3− ) groups [ 41 , 43 ]. Thus, FTIR results demonstrate the successful PVDF surface modification of zwitterionic copolymerization (PSBMA).…”

High-Performance Polyacrylic Acid-Grafted PVDF Nanofiltration Membrane with Good Antifouling Property for the Textile Industry

“…A hook needle was used to inject the constant volume of mineral oil from underwater. This method is able to characterize the oleophobic property of a solid surface [ 8 , 39 ]. The unmodified membrane exhibited the lowest oil contact angle ~110° due to the hydrophobicity of pure PVDF.…”

“…NF membrane performance was tested using a custom-made crossflow system. The effective membrane area in the circular stainless-steel module was ~12 cm 2 without the spacer [ 8 ]. The membrane was compacted at 5 bar for 1 h prior to subsequent operation at 4 bar.…”

“…Loose nanofiltration (NF) is a pressure-driven membrane separation technique that can be used in various applications such as water and wastewater treatment, antibiotic separation, biopurification, and biomass recovery [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Its separation capability is in between reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration, which are used to remove or concentrate the multivalent and divalent salts or small molecular components.…”

“…To date, several modifications have been proposed to prepare highly selective NF membranes with good antifouling property, such as interfacial polymerization, self-assembly of polyelectrolyte, polymer coating, and UV-grafting [ 6 ]. Interfacial polymerization (IP) is the most common technique employed for producing a commercial thin-film composite (TFC) membrane [ 8 , 20 ]. Within a short reaction time, a thin and dense selective layer can be acquired.…”