Functionalized polymeric membrane with aquaporin using click chemistry for water purification application

Abstract

ABSTRACTA new type of aquaporin‐based biomimetic water purification membrane is fabricated using a propargyl functionalized β‐sheet peptide (FBP1). FBP1 is demonstrated to bind to aquaporin and form a stable protein–peptide complex in aqueous solution, as well as covalently conjugate with azide group. Substrate starting material, polysulfone (PSU), is modified with ∼1.05 azide group per repeating unit and casted into a thin film substrate with appropriate pore size structure using non‐solvent induced phase separation technique. Protein–peptide complex then is clicked onto the substrate using an in‐house built circulating system. The successful immobilization is verified by surface chemical composition analysis and surface morphology analysis. The preliminary salt rejection results show salt rejection improvement from 5% of control membrane to 12.5%. We thus demonstrate a promising method to conjugate a thin layer of membrane protein onto polymeric substrate and well maintain the functionality of membrane proteins. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46678.