Effects of GO and MOF@GO on the permeation and antifouling properties of cellulose acetate ultrafiltration membrane

Abstract

Cellulose acetate (CA) has been used to prepare ultrafiltration membranes because of its excellent properties, especially its biodegradability. To enhance the performance of the CA membrane, the excellent CA ultrafiltration membrane was synthesized by blending with graphene oxide (GO) and HKUST-1 (a metal–organic framework) @GO through the typical phase inversion process. The effects of the different fillers (GO and HKUST-1@GO) on the membrane properties were investigated. Firstly, the fabricated nanocomposites were analyzed through X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Then, the action of the fillers on the membrane morphology, permeability, separation performance, and antifouling properties were studied. Compared with CA/GO membranes, the CA/MOF@GO membranes exhibit higher hydrophilicity and pure water flux. This is because HKUST-1 can fully exploit the structure advantages of GO and prevent the stacking of GO layers, introducing unique properties to the HKUST-1@GO composite. The CA/MOF@GO0.12 membrane has the highest water permeate flux of 183.51 L m−2 h−1 and also exhibits better antifouling performance than the CA membrane, which possesses a flux recovery ratio of 88.13% and a total fouling ratio of 40.32%. Hence, HKUST-1@GO shows potential as a filler in ultrafiltration membranes to improve their performance for water purification applications.