Fabrication of a Novel Antifouling Polysulfone Membrane with in Situ Embedment of Mxene Nanosheets

Enhancing oil-water emulsion separation via synergistic filtration using graphene oxide-silver oxide nanocomposite-embedded polyethersulfone membrane

This study introduces an innovative approach for enhancing oil-water emulsion separation using a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane embedded with a nanocomposite of graphene oxide (GO) and silver oxide (AgO). The composite membrane, incorporating PES and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), demonstrates improved hydrophilicity, structural integrity and resistance to fouling. Physicochemical characterization confirms successful integration of GO and AgO, leading to increased tensile strength, porosity and hydrophilicity. Filtration tests reveal substantial improvements in separating various oils from contaminated wastewater, with the composite membrane exhibiting superior efficiency and reusability compared to pristine PES membranes. This research contributes to the development of environmentally friendly oil-water separation methods with broad industrial applications.

Flexible, durable, and anti-fouling maghemite copper oxide nanocomposite-based membrane with ultra-high flux and efficiency for oil-in-water emulsions separation

In this study, we developed a novel nanocomposite-based membrane using maghemite copper oxide (MC) to enhance the separation efficiency of poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membranes for oil-in-water emulsions. The MC nanocomposite was synthesized using a co-precipitation method and incorporated into a PVC matrix by casting. The resulting nanocomposite-based membrane demonstrated a high degree of crystallinity and well-dispersed nanostructure, as confirmed by TEM, SEM, XRD, and FT-IR analyses. The performance of the membrane was evaluated in terms of water flux, solute rejection, and anti-fouling properties. The pinnacle of performance was unequivocally reached with a solution dosage of 50 mL, a solution concentration of 100 mg L-1, and a pump pressure of 2 bar, ensuring that every facet of the membrane's potential was fully harnessed. The new fabricated membrane exhibited superior efficiency for oil-water separation, with a rejection rate of 98% and an ultra-high flux of 0.102 L/m2 h compared to pure PVC membranes with about 90% rejection rate and an ultra-high flux of 0.085 L/m2 h. Furthermore, meticulous contact angle measurements revealed that the PMC nanocomposite membrane exhibited markedly lower contact angles (65° with water, 50° with ethanol, and 25° with hexane) compared to PVC membranes. This substantial reduction, transitioning from 85 to 65° with water, 65 to 50° with ethanol, and 45 to 25° with hexane for pure PVC membranes, underscores the profound enhancement in hydrophilicity attributed to the heightened nanoparticle content. Importantly, the rejection efficiency remained stable over five cycles, indicating excellent anti-fouling and cycling stability. The results highlight the potential of the maghemite copper oxide nanocomposite-based PVC membrane as a promising material for effective oil-in-water emulsion separation. This development opens up new possibilities for more flexible, durable, and anti-fouling membranes, making them ideal candidates for potential applications in separation technology. The presented findings provide valuable information for the advancement of membrane technology and its utilization in various industries, addressing the pressing challenge of oil-induced water pollution and promoting environmental sustainability.

Can MXene be the Effective Nanomaterial Family for the Membrane and Adsorption Technologies to Reach a Sustainable Green World?

Environmental pollution has intensified and accelerated due to a steady increase in the number of industries, and exploring methods to remove hazardous contaminants, which can be typically divided into inorganic and organic compounds, have become inevitable. Therefore, the development of efficacious technology for the separation processes is of paramount importance to ensure the environmental remediation. Membrane and adsorption technologies garnered attention, especially with the use of novel and high performing nanomaterials, which provide a target-specific solution. Specifically, widespread use of MXene nanomaterials in membrane and adsorption technologies has emerged due to their intriguing characteristics, combined with outstanding separation performance. In this review, we demonstrated the intrinsic properties of the MXene family for several separation applications, namely, gas separation, solvent dehydration, dye removal, separation of oil-in-water emulsions, heavy metal ion removal, removal of radionuclides, desalination, and other prominent separation applications. We highlighted the recent advancements used to tune separation potential of the MXene family such as the manipulation of surface chemistry, delamination or intercalation methods, and fabrication of composite or nanocomposite materials. Moreover, we focused on the aspects of stability, fouling, regenerability, and swelling, which deserve special attention when the MXene family is implemented in membrane and adsorption-based separation applications.

Novel MXene-Modified Polyphenyl Sulfone Membranes for Functional Nanofiltration of Heavy Metals-Containing Wastewater

In this work, MXene as a hydrophilic 2D nanosheet has been suggested to tailor the polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) flat sheet membrane characteristics via bulk modification. The amount of MXene varied in the PPSU casting solution from 0-1.5 wt.%, while a series of characterization tools have been employed to detect the surface characteristics changes. This included atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle, pore size and porosity, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results disclosed that the MXene content could significantly influence some of the membranes' surface characteristics while no effect was seen on others. The optimal MXene content was found to be 0.6 wt.%, as revealed by the experimental work. The roughness parameters of the 0.6 wt.% nanocomposite membrane were notably enhanced, while greater hydrophilicity has been imparted compared to the nascent PPSU membrane. This witnessed enhancement in the surface characteristics of the nanocomposite was indeed reflected in their performance. A triple enhancement in the pure water flux was witnessed without compromising the retention of the membranes against the Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pd²⁺ feed. In parallel, high, and comparable separation rates (>92%) were achieved by all membranes regardless of the MXene content. In addition, promising antifouling features were observed with the nanocomposite membranes, disclosing that these nanocomposite membranes could offer a promising potential to treat heavy metals-containing wastewater for various applications.

Enhanced Antifouling in Flat-Sheet Polyphenylsulfone Membranes Incorporating Graphene Oxide-Tungsten Oxide for Ultrafiltration Applications

In this study tungsten oxide and graphene oxide (GO-WO_2.89) were successfully combined using the ultra-sonication method and embedded with polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) to prepare novel low-fouling membranes for ultrafiltration applications. The properties of the modified membranes and performance were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle (CA), water permeation flux, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection. It was found that the modified PPSU membrane fabricated from 0.1 wt.% of GO-WO_2.89 possessed the best characteristics, with a 40.82° contact angle and 92.94% porosity. The permeation flux of the best membrane was the highest. The pure water permeation flux of the best membrane showcased 636.01 L·m^-2·h^-1 with 82.86% BSA rejection. Moreover, the membranes (MR-2 and MR-P2) manifested a higher flux recovery ratio (FRR %) of 92.66 and 87.06%, respectively, and were less prone to BSA solution fouling. The antibacterial performance of the GO-WO_2.89 composite was very positive with three different concentrations, observed via the bacteria count method. These results significantly overtake those observed by neat PPSU membranes and offer a promising potential of GO-WO_2.89 on activity membrane performance.

Recent Advances on the Fabrication of Antifouling Phase-Inversion Membranes by Physical Blending Modification Method

Membrane technology is an essential tool for water treatment and biomedical applications. Despite their extensive use in these fields, polymeric-based membranes still face several challenges, including instability, low mechanical strength, and propensity to fouling. The latter point has attracted the attention of numerous teams worldwide developing antifouling materials for membranes and interfaces. A convenient method to prepare antifouling membranes is via physical blending (or simply blending), which is a one-step method that consists of mixing the main matrix polymer and the antifouling material prior to casting and film formation by a phase inversion process. This review focuses on the recent development (past 10 years) of antifouling membranes via this method and uses different phase-inversion processes including liquid-induced phase separation, vapor induced phase separation, and thermally induced phase separation. Antifouling materials used in these recent studies including polymers, metals, ceramics, and carbon-based and porous nanomaterials are also surveyed. Furthermore, the assessment of antifouling properties and performances are extensively summarized. Finally, we conclude this review with a list of technical and scientific challenges that still need to be overcome to improve the functional properties and widen the range of applications of antifouling membranes prepared by blending modification.

Optimization of carboxylated graphene oxide (C-GO) content in polymer matrix: Synthesis, characterization, and application study

Carboxylated graphene oxide (C-GO) embedded in polysulfone (PSF) membrane composites were prepared with different wt. % (i.e., 0.2% M - 1, 0.3% M - 2, 0.4% M - 3, and 0.5% M - 4) using non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method and ultrafiltration assembly was applied for the removal of dye effluents. The optimization of C-GO content into polymer matrix was found influencing factor in determining the composite membranes efficiency and application in various research fields. The membranes were characterized in terms of surface morphology (SEM), crystallinity (XRD), and functional groups identification (FTIR). The water permeability of the developed membranes was analyzed, and it is observed that increasing the content of C-GO in PSF membranes imposed a positive impact on permeation performance. M - 3 was found to be a potential candidate among all the membranes with a maximum water flux of about 183 LMH which is considerably higher as compared to the pristine PSF membrane's water flux (i.e., 27 LMH). Moreover, contact angle measurements of membranes were also checked to assess the hydrophilicity of PSF membranes. The results of contact angle also support the water permeability and efficient correlation was observed as contact angle decreases with increasing the content of C-GO. The minimum contact angle with excellent hydrophilicity was shown by the M - 3 membrane and it was found of about ±58.19° and this value is close to the M - 4 membrane having maximum C-GO content. The photocatalytic performance of the M - 3 membrane was checked under UV-254 nm using methylene blue dye and 97% dye removal was achieved within 220 min of reaction time under neutral pH conditions. The M - 3 membrane having C-GO content of 0.4% was found to be the best membrane with high pure water flux (183 LMH) and efficient dye rejection (82%) capability.

Converting recycled membranes into photocatalytic membranes using greener TiO2-GRAPHENE oxide nanomaterials

Despite the widespread use of membrane separation processes for water treatment, operation costs and fouling still restrict their application. Costs can be overcome by recycled membranes whereas fouling can be mitigated by membrane modification. In this work, the performance of recycled reverse osmosis membranes modified by greener titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and graphene oxide (GO) in different modification routes were investigated and compared. The use of recycled membranes as a support acted more than a strategy for costs reduction, but also as an alternative for solid waste reduction. Low adhesion of nanoparticulate materials to the membrane surfaces were verified in depositions by self-assembly, whereas filtration and modification with dopamine generated membranes with well adhered and homogeneous layers. Considering the stability, permeability, and rejection efficiency of dyes as model substrates, the membranes modified with the aid of dopamine-TiO₂-GO were the most promising. The nanomaterials increased the membrane hydrophilicity and formed a hydrated layer that repels the organic contaminants and reduces fouling. Besides membrane rejection, adsorption (contribution: ∼10%) and photocatalysis (contribution: ∼20%) were additional mechanisms for pollutants removal by the modified membranes. The photocatalytic membrane modified with dopamine-TiO₂-GO was furthermore evaluated for the removal of six different pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs), noticing gains in terms of removal efficiency (up to 95.7%) and fouling mitigation for the modified membrane compared to the original membranes. The photocatalytic activity still contributed to a simultaneous degradation of PhACs avoiding the generation of a concentrated stream for further disposal.

Classification of Nanomaterials and the Effect of Graphene Oxide (GO) and Recently Developed Nanoparticles on the Ultrafiltration Membrane and Their Applications: A Review

The emergence of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) or nanocomposite membranes embedded with inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) has opened up a possibility for developing different polymeric membranes with improved physicochemical properties, mechanical properties and performance for resolving environmental and energy-effective water purification. This paper presents an overview of the effects of different hydrophilic nanomaterials, including mineral nanomaterials (e.g., silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and zeolite), metals oxide (e.g., copper oxide (CuO), zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), zinc oxide (ZnO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3) and tungsten oxide (WO_X)), two-dimensional transition (e.g., MXene), metal-organic framework (MOFs), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and carbon-based nanomaterials (such as carbon nanotubes and graphene oxide (GO)). The influence of these nanoparticles on the surface and structural changes in the membrane is thoroughly discussed, in addition to the performance efficiency and antifouling resistance of the developed membranes. Recently, GO has shown a considerable capacity in wastewater treatment. This is due to its nanometer-sized holes, ultrathin layer and light and sturdy nature. Therefore, we discuss the effect of the addition of hydrophilic GO in neat form or hyper with other nanoparticles on the properties of different polymeric membranes. A hybrid composite of various NPs has a distinctive style and high-quality products can be designed to allow membrane technology to grow and develop. Hybrid composite NPs could be used on a large scale in the future due to their superior mechanical qualities. A summary and future prospects are offered based on the current discoveries in the field of mixed matrix membranes. This review presents the current progress of mixed matrix membranes, the challenges that affect membrane performance and recent applications for wastewater treatment systems.

Functionalized-MXene Thin-Film Nanocomposite Hollow Fiber Membranes for Enhanced PFAS Removal from Water

Due to adverse health effects and the broad sources of per- and polyfluoroakyl substances (PFAS), PFAS removal is a critical research area in water purification. We demonstrate the functionalization of thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber nanofiltration (HFN) membranes by MXene nanosheets during the interfacial polymerization (IP) process for enhanced removal of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) from water. A MXene-polyamide (PA) selective layer was fabricated on top of a polysulfone (PSF) hollow fiber support via IP of trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and a mixture of piperazine (PIP) and MXene nanosheets to form MXene-PA thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes. Incorporating MXene nanosheets during the IP process tuned the morphology and negative surface charge of the selective layer, resulting in enhanced PFOS rejection from 72% (bare TFC) to more than 96% (0.025 wt % MXene TFN), while the water permeability was also increased from 13.19 (bare TFC) to 29.26 LMH/bar (0.025 wt % MXene TFN). Our results demonstrate that both electrostatic interaction and size exclusion are the main factors governing the PFOS rejection, and both are determined by PA selective layer structural and chemical properties. The lamella structure and interlayer of MXene nanosheets inside the PA layer provided different transport mechanisms for water, ions, and PFAS molecules, resulting in enhanced water permeability and PFAS rejection due to traveling through the membrane by both diffusions through the PA layer and the MXene intralayer channels. MXene nanosheets showed very promising capability as a 2D additive for tuning the structural and chemical properties of the PA layer at the permeability-rejection tradeoff.

In situ preparation of an anatase/rutile-TiO2/Ti3C2T x hybrid electrode for durable sodium ion batteries

Herein, a facile one-step method is developed to in situ prepare crystalline anatase and rutile TiO₂ nanocrystals on Ti₃C₂T_x by regulating the metastable Ti ions. The combination of TiO₂ nanocrystals and Ti₃C₂T_x not only introduces extensive accessible sites for Na⁺ storage, but also promotes the charge transport by efficiently relieving the collapse of Ti₃C₂T_x. Compared with pristine Ti₃C₂T_x, the optimized TiO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x hybrid electrode (anatase/rutile-TiO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x, A/R-TiO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x) exhibits a desirable specific surface area (22.5 m² g⁻¹), an ultralow charge transfer resistance (42.46 Ω) and excellent ion diffusion (4.01 × 10⁻¹⁴). Remarkably, rich oxygen vacancies are produced on TiO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x which is beneficial to enhance the insertion/de-insertion of Na⁺ during the charge/discharge process. As a result, the A/R-TiO₂/Ti₃C₂T_x delivers a high average capacity of 205.4 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ and a desirable capacitance retention rate of 84.7% can be achieved after 600 cycles at 500 mA g⁻¹.

A facile one-step method is developed to in situ prepare crystalline anatase and rutile TiO₂ nanocrystalline on Ti₃C₂T_x by regulating the metastable Ti ions.

MXene (Ti3C2Tx)/Cellulose Acetate Mixed-Matrix Membrane Enhances Fouling Resistance and Rejection in the Crossflow Filtration Process

Obstacles in the membrane-based separation field are mainly related to membrane fouling. This study involved the synthesis and utilization of covalently crosslinked MXene/cellulose acetate mixed matrix membranes with MXene at different concentrations (CCAM-0% to CCAM-12%) for water purification applications. The membranes’ water flux, dye, and protein rejection performances were compared using dead-end (DE) and crossflow (CF) filtration. The fabricated membranes, especially CCAM-10%, exhibited high hydrophilicity, good surface roughness, significantly high water flux, high water uptake, and high porosity. A significantly higher flux was observed in CF filtration relative to DE filtration. Moreover, in CF filtration, the CCAM-10% membrane exhibited 96.60% and 99.49% rejection of methyl green (MG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA), respectively, while maintaining a flux recovery ratio of 67.30% and an irreversible fouling ratio at (R_ir) of 32.70, indicating good antifouling performance. Hence, this study suggests that covalent modification of cellulose acetate membranes with MXene significantly improves the performance and fouling resistance of membranes for water filtration in CF mode relative to DE mode.

Preparation and Characterization of a Thin-Film Composite Membrane Modified by MXene Nano-Sheets

MXene nano-sheets were introduced into a thin-film composite membrane (TFC) to reduce the mass transfer resistance (concentration polarization) and improve the membrane performance. The process entailed dissolving the MXene nano-sheets in a membrane casting solution using the blending method and introducing them into the porous support layer to prepare a modified thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC-FO) membrane. The results showed that the water contact angle decreased by about 16%, indicating that the hydrophilicity was strengthened, and the O/N ratio of the active selective layer decreased by 13%, indicating an increased degree of crosslinking, thereby demonstrating that the introduction of MXene nano-sheets changed the properties of the membrane and played a positive role in its physicochemical properties. In contrast to the unmodified TFC-FO membrane, the modified membrane had a slightly higher reverse solute flux, while its water flux increased by about 80%. Its specific reverse osmosis flux was also significantly optimized (only 0.63 g/L). In conclusion, adding MXene nanosheets to TFC-FO membranes led to the modified membranes with better mass transfer, lessened internal concentration polarization (ICP), and better osmotic separation.

Microcystin-LR Removal from Water via Enzymatic Linearization and Ultrafiltration

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a toxin produced by cyanobacteria that can bloom in freshwater supplies. This study describes a new strategy for remediation of MC-LR that combines linearization of the toxin using microcystinase A, MlrA, enzyme with rejection of linearized byproducts using membrane filtration. The MlrA enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and purified via a His-tag with 95% purity. Additionally, composite membranes made of 95% polysulfone and 5% sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) were fabricated and used to filter a solution containing cyclic and linearized MC-LR. Tests were also performed to measure the adsorption and desorption of MC-LR on polysulfone/SPEEK membranes. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to characterize the progress of linearization and removal of MC-LR. Results indicate that the MlrA was successful at linearizing MC-LR. Membrane filtration tests showed rejection of 97% of cyclic MC-LR and virtually all linearized MC-LR, with adsorption to the membranes being the main rejection mechanism. Adsorption/desorption tests indicated that methanol could be used to strip residual MC-LR from membranes to regenerate them. This study demonstrates a novel strategy of remediation of microcystin-tainted water, combining linearization of MC-LR to a low-toxicity byproduct along with removal by membrane filtration.

Preparation and Characterization of the Forward Osmosis Membrane Modified by MXene Nano-Sheets

The Forward Osmosis (FO) membrane was the core of FO technology. Obtaining a high water flux while maintaining a low reverse solute flux has historically been considered the gold standard for a perfect FO membrane. In a thin-film composite FO membrane, the performance of the membrane was determined not only by the material and structure of the porous support layer but also by the structural and chemical properties of the active selective layer. Researchers have selected numerous sorts of materials for the FO membranes in recent years and have produced exceptional achievements. Herein, the performance of the modified FO membrane constructed by introducing new two-dimensional nanomaterial MXene nano-sheets to the interfacial polymerization process was investigated, and the performance of these modified membranes was investigated using a variety of characterization and testing methods. The results revealed that the MXene nano-sheets played an important role in improving the performance of the FO membrane. Because of the hydrophilic features of the MXene nano-sheets, the membrane structure may be tuned within a specific concentration range, and the performance of the modified FO membrane has been significantly enhanced accordingly. The optimal membrane water flux was boosted by around 80%, while its reverse solute flux was kept to a minimum of the resultant membranes. It showed that the addition of MXene nanosheets to the active selective layer could improve the performance of the FO membrane, and this method showed promising application prospects.

Efficacy of MOF-199 in improvement of permeation, morphological, antifouling and antibacterial characteristics of polyvinylidene fluoride membranes

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are widely explored for advances in hybrid membranes because of their bonding and fondness in polymers.

Optimization of a High-Performance Poly(diallyl dimethylammonium chloride)-alumina-perfluorooctanoate Intercalated Ultrafiltration Membrane for Treating Emulsified Oily Wastewater via Response Surface Methodology Approach

This research aimed to investigate the ultrafiltration of water from emulsified oily wastewater through the application of surface-functionalized ceramic membrane to enhance its water permeability based on optimized parameters using a cross-flow filtration system. The interactive effects of feed concentration (10–1000 ppm), pH (4–10), and pressure (0–3 bar) on the water flux and oil rejection were investigated. Central composite design (CCD) from response surface methodology (RSM) was employed for statistical analysis, modeling, and optimization of operating conditions. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that the oil rejection and water flux models were significant with p-values of 0.0001 and 0.0075, respectively. In addition, good correlation coefficients of 0.997 and 0.863 were obtained for the oil rejection and water flux models, respectively. The optimum conditions for pressure, pH, and feed concentration were found to be 1.5 bar, pH 8.97, and 10 ppm, respectively with water flux and oil rejection maintained at 152 L/m²·h and 98.72%, respectively. Hence, the functionalized ultrafiltration ceramic membrane enables the separation efficiency of the emulsified oil in water to be achieved.

Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Carbides and Nitrides (MXenes) for Water Purification and Antibacterial Applications

Two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, graphene oxide (GO), metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDS), boron nitride (BN), and layered double hydroxide (LDH) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely investigated as potential candidates in various separation applications because of their high mechanical strength, large surface area, ideal chemical and thermal stability, simplicity, ease of functionalization, environmental comparability, and good antibacterial performance. Recently, MXene as a new member of the 2D polymer family has attracted significant attention in water purification, desalination, gas separation, antibacterial, and antifouling applications. Herein, we review the most recent progress in the fabrication, preparation, and modification methods of MXene-based lamellar membranes with the emphasis on applications for water purification and desalination. Moreover, the antibacterial properties of MXene-based membranes show a significant potential for commercial use in water purification. Thus, this review provides a directional guide for future development in this emerging technology.

Mixed-Matrix Membrane Fabrication for Water Treatment

In recent years, technology for the fabrication of mixed-matrix membranes has received significant research interest due to the widespread use of mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) for various separation processes, as well as biomedical applications. MMMs possess a wide range of properties, including selectivity, good permeability of desired liquid or gas, antifouling behavior, and desired mechanical strength, which makes them preferable for research nowadays. However, these properties of MMMs are due to their tailored and designed structure, which is possible due to a fabrication process with controlled fabrication parameters and a choice of appropriate materials, such as a polymer matrix with dispersed nanoparticulates based on a typical application. Therefore, several conventional fabrication methods such as a phase-inversion process, interfacial polymerization, co-casting, coating, electrospinning, etc., have been implemented for MMM preparation, and there is a drive for continuous modification of advanced, easy, and economic MMM fabrication technology for industrial-, small-, and bulk-scale production. This review focuses on different MMM fabrication processes and the importance of various parameter controls and membrane efficiency, as well as tackling membrane fouling with the use of nanomaterials in MMMs. Finally, future challenges and outlooks are highlighted.

Rapid Surface Modification of Ultrafiltration Membranes for Enhanced Antifouling Properties

In this work, several ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with enhanced antifouling properties were fabricated using a rapid and green surface modification method that was based on the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Two types of hydrophilic monomers—acrylic acid (AA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were, respectively, deposited on the surface of a commercial UF membrane and the effects of plasma deposition time (i.e., 15 s, 30 s, 60 s, and 90 s) on the surface properties of the membrane were investigated. The modified membranes were then subjected to filtration using 2000 mg/L pepsin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) solutions as feed. Microscopic and spectroscopic analyses confirmed the successful deposition of AA and HEMA on the membrane surface and the decrease in water contact angle with increasing plasma deposition time strongly indicated the increase in surface hydrophilicity due to the considerable enrichment of the hydrophilic segment of AA and HEMA on the membrane surface. However, a prolonged plasma deposition time (>15 s) should be avoided as it led to the formation of a thicker coating layer that significantly reduced the membrane pure water flux with no significant change in the solute rejection rate. Upon 15-s plasma deposition, the AA-modified membrane recorded the pepsin and BSA rejections of 83.9% and 97.5%, respectively, while the HEMA-modified membrane rejected at least 98.5% for both pepsin and BSA. Compared to the control membrane, the AA-modified and HEMA-modified membranes also showed a lower degree of flux decline and better flux recovery rate (>90%), suggesting that the membrane antifouling properties were improved and most of the fouling was reversible and could be removed via simple water cleaning process. We demonstrated in this work that the PECVD technique is a promising surface modification method that could be employed to rapidly improve membrane surface hydrophilicity (15 s) for the enhanced protein purification process without using any organic solvent during the plasma modification process.