Poly(vinyl alcohol)/polydopamine hybrid nanofiltration membrane fabricated through aqueous electrospraying with excellent antifouling and chlorine resistance

An Overview of the Modification Strategies in Developing Antifouling Nanofiltration Membranes

Freshwater deficiency has become a significant issue affecting many nations' social and economic development because of the fast-growing demand for water resources. Nanofiltration (NF) is one of the promising technologies for water reclamation application, particularly in desalination, water, and wastewater treatment fields. Nevertheless, membrane fouling remains a significant concern since it can reduce the NF membrane performance and increase operating expenses. Consequently, numerous studies have focused on improving the NF membrane's resistance to fouling. This review highlights the recent progress in NF modification strategies using three types of antifouling modifiers, i.e., nanoparticles, polymers, and composite polymer/nanoparticles. The correlation between antifouling performance and membrane properties such as hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, surface charge, and morphology are discussed. The challenges and perspectives regarding antifouling modifiers and modification strategies conclude this review.

Fabrication of mechanically advanced polydopamine decorated hydroxyapatite/polyvinyl alcohol bio-composite for biomedical applications: In-vitro physicochemical and biological evaluation

In this study, polydopamine (PDA) coated hydroxyapatite (HA) reinforced polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films were produced to be used in biomedical applications such as bone tissue regeneration. pDA is coated not only to prevent the agglomeration of HA when encountering interstitial fluids but also to strongly bind the PVA for the interaction between materials so that the mechanical performance becomes more stabilized. pDA was coated on the hydroxyapatite surface using a radical polymerization technique, and the reinforced PVA were produced with pDA-coated HA (pDA-HA/PVA) nanoparticles. Fundamental characteristic properties of pDA-HA/PVA nanocomposite films were examined by morphological/chemical (SEM-EDS), microstructural (XRD, Ft-IR, and Raman), thermodynamic (TGA and TM), mechanical performance (Vickers microhardness) and biological activity analysis (MTT, genotoxicity and antimicrobial efficacy investigations). Physicochemical analysis showed that all the samples studied exhibited homogeneous mineral distributions through the main structures. According to TGA, TMA and hardness tests, the new composite structure possessed higher mechanical properties than neat PVA. Further, pDA-HA/PVA nanocomposites exhibited high antibacterial capacities against Acinetobacter Baumannii (A.Baumannii), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Streptococcus mutans (S.mutans). Moreover, the new nanocomposites were noted to present good biocompatibility for fibroblast (L929) cells and to support remarkably MCS cells. All in all, this comprehensive work shows that the thermo-mechanically improved pDA-HA/PVA films will increase the application fields of PVA in biomedical fields especially tooth-bone treatments for coating, filling, or occlusion purposes.

Zwitterionic metal-organic frameworks modified polyamide membranes with enhanced water flux and antifouling capacity

Antifouling properties are considered to be crucial parameter to polyamide (PA) composite nanofiltration (NF) membranes for practical applications. In this study, an antifouling material, surface zwitterionization of Metal-organic frameworks (Z-MIL-101 (Cr)) was firstly prepared by decorating zwitterionic polymer onto the MOFs surface. Subsequently, a novel type of MOFs-based hybrid membranes were fabricated via mixing the Z-MIL-101 (Cr) nanoparticle with the organic matrix by interfacial polymerization technique. The most optimal hybrid membrane had a high water permeation of 26 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1, which was 2.1 times higher than that pristine PA membrane, while the retention for Na₂SO₄ was still kept at a considerably high value of 93%. The significant increased water flue can attribute to the existence of water channels generated by the Z-MIL-101 (Cr). More important, the antifouling property of the hybrid membrane was much better than that pristine PA, which was due to the formation of superhydrophilic liquid layer surrounding the zwitterionic groups. The combination of the micropore structure of the MOFs and the excellent antifouling properties of the decorated zwitterionic polymer effectively improved separation performances and antifouling ability, which makes these hybrid membranes promising for water purification.

Improvement of Antibacterial and Antifouling Properties of a Cellulose Acetate Membrane by Surface Grafting Quaternary Ammonium Salt

Through etherification reaction, epoxy propyl dimethyl dodecyl ammonium chloride (EPDMDAC) was grafted onto the surface of a cellulose acetate (CA) membrane to prepare a stable nonleaching antibacterial antifouling membrane (QCA-X). The results showed that with the extension of grafting reaction time, the quaternary ammonium salt groups on the membrane surface increased and the hydrophilicity was enhanced. Compared with those of the CA membrane, the filtration capacity and antifouling performance of the QCA-X membrane are improved. When the grafting time is 4 h, the water permeability and flux recovery rate of the QCA-4 membrane are increased by 139 and 21.5%, respectively. The QCA-X membrane showed excellent antibacterial performance, and the sterilization rate against S. aureus and E. coli was more than 99.99%. After four repeated antibacterial cycles, the bactericidal rates against S. aureus and E. coli were maintained at about 99.69 ± 0.02 and 99.98 ± 0.02%, respectively, with good antibacterial persistence. Moreover, the QCA-X membrane can effectively inhibit bacterial adhesion. Mild and simple EPDMDAC grafting modifications improve the antibacterial, antifouling, and antibioadhesion properties of the CA membrane, showing its application potential in long-term water treatment, especially in biofouling water treatment.

Rejection Mechanism of Ionic Solute Removal by Nanofiltration Membranes: An Overview

The toxicity of heavy metals can cause water pollution and has harmful effects on human health and the environment. Various methods are used to overcome this pressing issue and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Membrane filtration technology such as nanofiltration (NF) produces high quality water and has a very small footprint, which results in lower energy usage. Nanofiltration is a membrane-based separation technique based on the reverse osmosis separation process developed in the 1980s. NF membranes have a pore size of 1 nm and molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 300 to 500 Da. The properties of NF membranes are unique since the surface charge of the membranes is dependent on the functional groups of the membrane. The rejection mechanism of NF membrane is unique as it is a combination of various rejection mechanisms such as steric hindrance, electric exclusion, dielectric effect, and hydration mechanism. However, these mechanisms have not been studied in-depth due to their complexity. There are also many factors contributing to the rejection of NF membrane. Many junior researchers would face difficulty in studying NF membrane. Therefore, this paper is designed for researchers new to the field, and will briefly review the rejection mechanisms of NF membrane by both sieving and non-sieving separation processes. This mini-review aims to provide new researchers with a general understanding of the concept of the separation process of charged membranes.

Fouling Prevention in Polymeric Membranes by Radiation Induced Graft Copolymerization

The application of membrane processes in various fields has now undergone accelerated developments, despite the presence of some hurdles impacting the process efficiency. Fouling is arguably the main hindrance for a wider implementation of polymeric membranes, particularly in pressure-driven membrane processes, causing higher costs of energy, operation, and maintenance. Radiation induced graft copolymerization (RIGC) is a powerful versatile technique for covalently imparting selected chemical functionalities to membranes' surfaces, providing a potential solution to fouling problems. This article aims to systematically review the progress in modifications of polymeric membranes by RIGC of polar monomers onto membranes using various low- and high-energy radiation sources (UV, plasma, γ-rays, and electron beam) for fouling prevention. The feasibility of the modification method with respect to physico-chemical and antifouling properties of the membrane is discussed. Furthermore, the major challenges to the modified membranes in terms of sustainability are outlined and the future research directions are also highlighted. It is expected that this review would attract the attention of membrane developers, users, researchers, and scientists to appreciate the merits of using RIGC for modifying polymeric membranes to mitigate the fouling issue, increase membrane lifespan, and enhance the membrane system efficiency.

Recent advances in dopamine-based materials constructed via one-pot co-assembly strategy

Dopamine-based materials have attracted widespread interest due to the outstanding physicochemical and biological properties. Since the first report on polydopamine (PDA) films, great efforts have been devoted to develop new fabrication strategies for obtaining novel nanostructures and desirable properties. Among them, one-pot co-assembly strategy offers a unique pathway for integrating multiple properties and functions into dopamine-based platform in a single simultaneous co-deposition step. This review focuses on the state of the art development of one-pot multicomponent self-assembly of dopamine-based materials and summarizes various single-step co-deposition approaches, including PDA-assisted adaptive encapsulation, co-assembly of dopamine with other molecules through non-covalent interactions or covalent interactions. Moreover, emerging applications of dopamine-based materials in the fields ranging from sensing, cancer therapy, catalysis, oil/water separation to antifouling are outlined. In addition, some critical remaining challenges and opportunities are discussed to pave the way towards the rational design and applications of dopamine-based materials.