Abstract
We fabricated a nanofiltration membrane consisting of a polyaniline (PANI) film on a polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) substrate membrane. The PANI film acted as a potent separation enhancer and antimicrobial coating. The membrane was analyzed via scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to examine its morphology, topography, contact angle, and zeta potential. We aimed to investigate the impact of the PANI film on the surface properties of the membrane. Membrane performance was then evaluated in terms of water permeation and rejection of methylene blue (MB), an organic dye. Coating the PPSU membrane with a PANI film imparted significant advantages, including finely tuned nanometer-scale membrane pores and tailored surface properties, including increased hydrophilicity and zeta potential. The PANI film also significantly enhanced separation of the MB dye. The PANI-coated membrane rejected over 90% of MB with little compromise in membrane permeability. The PANI film also enhanced the antimicrobial activity of the membrane. The bacteriostasis (BR) values of PANI-coated PPSU membranes after six and sixteen hours of incubation with Escherichia coli were 63.5% and 95.2%, respectively. The BR values of PANI-coated PPSU membranes after six and sixteen hours of incubation with Staphylococcus aureus were 70.6% and 88.0%, respectively.
Highlights
Membrane separation techniques for water and wastewater treatment have been increasingly utilized to address the global challenge of water scarcity
We found that pristine membranes were relatively hydrophobic with a water contact angle of 65° (Figure 5)
A nanofiltration membrane was fabricated by depositing a PANI film on a PPSU substrate membrane
Summary
Membrane separation techniques for water and wastewater treatment have been increasingly utilized to address the global challenge of water scarcity. These techniques have intrinsic advantages, such as facile scalability, low environmental impact, and most importantly, continuous separation in combination with other conventional processes [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The inherently hydrophobic nature of the polymers used for membrane preparation is a disadvantage [7,8,9,10]. Membranes are prone to fouling due to their hydrophobic nature, so more power is required to force water flow.
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