Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol.321, 412-423, 2017
Engineering high-effective antifouling polyether sulfone membrane with P(PEG-PDMS-KH570)@SiO2 nanocomposite via in-situ sol-gel process
In this work, an original amphiphilic copolymer P(PEG-PDMS-KH570) combined with SiO2 nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) was utilized to prepare polyether sulfone (PES) nanocomposite ultrafiltration (UF) membrane with enhanced antifouling performance. The enrichment of the organic-inorganic modifier P(PEG-PDMSKH570)@SiO2 were realized at the same time as the formation of PES UF membrane via sol-gel non solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. The interaction between the copolymer P(PEG-PDMSKH570) and SiO2 NPs furnished a stable and effective antifouling PES UF membrane. Surface morphology, chemical composition characterization and wetting property measurements confirmed the segregation and distribution of the nanocomposite modifier. The multi-defense mechanism from fouling resistance to fouling release of the nanocomposite membranes was investigated by setting bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solution as a model foulant. The antifouling properties of the modified membranes, especially for the PES/T@SiO2 similar to 4% membrane, were effectively improved. The flux decline rate of PES/T@SiO2 similar to 4% membrane was as low as 15.6%, and the flux recover ratio was up to 99.0%. Moreover, the modified membranes also possessed remarkable antifouling stability. Results of this work provide a facile method to construct a hierarchical and heterogeneous membrane surface that could achieve the multi defense mechanism in efficient water treatment. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords:Organic-inorganic nanocomposite modifier;SiO2 nanoparticles;PES membrane;In-situ sol-gel process;Multi-defense antifouling mechanism