Novel thin film nanocomposite membrane modified with Boron Nitride Nanosheets for water treatment

Abstract

This paper provides a simple method for modifying the boron nitride (BN) surface using cyclopentadienyl. In this study, CBNs were fabricated and incorporated into the thin polyamide (PA) layer of thin-film composite. The developed materials were characterized by FE-SEM, BET, AFM, XPS, and contact angle analyzer and the performance of the membrane. The results indicated that CBNs-incorporated Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes had enhanced surface hydrophilicity due to the increased carboxyl groups produced in the PA layer by the CBNs. Due to the hydropholicity of CBNs nanocomposite,The polyamide-CBNs membranes has higher pure water permeability (330 L.m-2.h-1.bar-1) compared to TFC membranes (3.80 L.m-2.h-1.bar-1). As a result, CBNs increased the attraction between water molecules and membrane surfaces, resulting in enhanced TFN membrane water flux. Upon incorporation of CBNs, the resultant TFN membrane achieved a 95% removal rate for Na2SO4 along with 22.10% higher water flux than the pristine membrane and gives the membrane strong antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli for water purification.