Abstract
In this study, we report the impact of the magnetic field on protein permeability through magnetic-responsive, block copolymer, nanocomposite membranes with hydrophilic and hydrophobic characters. The hydrophilic nanocomposite membranes were composed of spherical polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized through polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) with iron oxide NPs coated with quaternized poly(2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate. The hydrophobic nanocomposite membranes were prepared via nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) containing poly (methacrylic acid) and meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPNPs). The permeation experiments were carried out using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model solute, in the absence of the magnetic field and under permanent and cyclic magnetic field conditions OFF/ON (strategy 1) and ON/OFF (strategy 2). It was observed that the magnetic field led to a lower reduction in the permeate fluxes of magnetic-responsive membranes during BSA permeation, regardless of the magnetic field strategy used, than that obtained in the absence of the magnetic field. Nevertheless, a comparative analysis of the effect caused by the two cyclic magnetic field strategies showed that strategy 2 allowed for a lower reduction of the original permeate fluxes during BSA permeation and higher protein sieving coefficients. Overall, these novel magneto-responsive block copolymer nanocomposite membranes proved to be competent in mitigating biofouling phenomena in bioseparation processes.
Highlights
Membrane technology is an efficient method for the separation of macromolecules such as proteins, fibers, and many other compounds [1,2]
The impact of the magnetic response on the permeation of a 0.5 g/L bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution, at transmembrane pressures (TMP) of 0.5 bar and 3 bar, through the membranes prepared using polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA)-based spherical NPs (PISA membranes) and the membranes prepared by nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) technique (NIPS membranes), is shown in Figure 2
TMPs tested in the absence of magnetic field (0 T), i.e., the permeate flux showed a steep decrease in the initial process stage (~2.5 h of operation), tending to plateau after this period
Summary
Membrane technology is an efficient method for the separation of macromolecules such as proteins, fibers, and many other compounds [1,2]. Such membranes are prepared through the incorporation of magneto-responsive components, such as iron oxide-based nanoparticles (NPs), at the surface or within the membrane matrix The presence of these magnetic-responsive components has proved to allow for a reversible adjustment of the physicochemical properties of the membranes, which translate into tunable permeate fluxes and superior antifouling characteristics. The incorporation of iron oxide particles increased the overall hydrophilicity of the membranes, thereby providing excellent antifouling properties along with superior permeate fluxes under magnetic field conditions during whey protein separation. In our previous works [22,23], we developed hydrophilic nanocomposite membranes using polymeric particles with different architectures, such as spheres, worms, and vesicles, incorporating magnetic hybrid nanoparticles at the surface These hybrid nanoparticles consisted of polymer coated iron oxide [22,23,24,25] or silver cores [26], synthesized via polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). Protein permeation was conducted under different cyclic magnetic field configurations, OFF/ON and ON/OFF magnetic field cycles, in order to define the magnetic field strategy which may best enhance the effectiveness of the magnetic field
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