Preparation and application of zinc oxide/poly(m‐phenylene isophthalamide) hybrid ultrafiltration membranes

Abstract

ABSTRACTA small molecular‐weight cut‐off (MWCO) of 6000 Da poly(m‐phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) embedded zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was synthesized via nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS). Tests of field emission scanning electron microscope (FE‐SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), capillary flow porometer (CPF), mechanical test, and pure water flux (PWF) for characterization of membranes were carried out. The EDX, FTIR, and TGA indicated the presence of ZnO in the polymer matrix. The hybrid membranes showed enhanced pore density, PWF by the presence of the particles. The contact angle and water flux of modified membrane with 0.03 wt % of nano‐ZnO were 47.7° and 52.58 L·m−2·h−1compared to 71.6° and 36.27 L·m−2·h−1respectively; Compared with the hydrophobic membrane, the PMIA membrane, with hydrophilicity, is supposed to exhibit good antifouling properties. Furthermore, the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the modified membranes were increased. Finally, the hybrid membrane was used in treating papermaking white wastewater and exhibited good separation and high water flux. The great properties of the ultrafiltration PMIA membranes indicate their potential for excellent performance in industrial applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci.2019,136, 47583.