Anti-fouling polyethersulfone nanofiltration membranes aided by amine-functionalized boron nitride nanosheets with improved separation performance

Abstract

Nowadays, the implementation of a desirable membrane with high permeation and rejection properties in liquid and gas separation processes has become a competitive necessity in water purification and desalination. In this field, nanostructured membranes have enticed many researchers and industrialists to use them. Herein, an amine-functionalized boron nitride (BN) embedded microporous polyethersulfone (AFBN-PES) membrane was fabricated to examine the anti-fouling properties and separation performance of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). Also, fouling parameters such as intrinsic resistance (Rm), pore resistance (Rp), cake resistance (Rc), and total resistance (Rt) were investigated, and a significant improvement in the anti-fouling characteristics of the fabricated MMMs was detected. Surprisingly, water permeation across AFBN-PES membrane increased two-fold compared to the bare PES, while its BSA and Reactive Blue 19 dye rejection capability remained over 99 %. Faster solvent-nonsolvent exchange during the preparation of polymeric membrane owing to the presence of AFBN nanosheets enhanced the hydrophilicity, changed the mean pore size, and decreased the surface roughness beyond the creation of larger microvoids in the sub-layer of MMMs.