Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2022
Keywords
anti-fouling; ultrafiltration; polydopamine; copper oxide; zwitterion
Abstract
Polymeric membrane fouling is a long-standing challenge for water filtration. Metal/metal oxide nanoparticle functionalization of the membrane surface can impart anti-fouling properties through the reactivity of the metal species and the generation of radical species. Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) are effective at reducing organic fouling when used in conjunction with hydrogen peroxide, but leaching of copper ions from the membrane has been observed, which can hinder the longevity of the CuO NP activity at the membrane surface. Zwitterions can reduce organic fouling and stabilize NP attachment, suggesting a potential opportunity to combine the two functionalizations. Here, we coated polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes with polydopamine (PDA) and attached the zwitterionic compound, thiolated 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC-SH), and CuO NPs. Functionalized membranes resulted in a higher flux recovery ratio (0.694) than the unfunctionalized PES control (0.599). Copper retention was high (>96%) for functionalized membranes. The results indicate that CuO NPs and MPC-SH can reduce organic fouling with only limited copper leaching.
Citation
Hackett, C., Abolhassani, M., Greenlee, L., & Thompson, A. K. (2022). Ultrafiltration Membranes Functionalized with Copper Oxide and Zwitterions for Fouling Resistance. Membranes, 12 (5), 544. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12050544
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.