Facile Cu-BTC surface modification of thin chitosan film coated polyethersulfone membranes with improved antifouling properties for sustainable removal of manganese

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    Mohammad Mozfari, S. Fatemeh Seyedpour, Saeed Khoshhal Salestan, Ahmad Rahimpour, Ahmad Arabi Shamsabadi, Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei

Milad Rabbani Esfahani, Alberto Tiraferri, Hamed Mohsenian, Marco Sangermano, Masoud Soroush

 Abstract

Loose nanofiltration membranes, which have a loose selective layer and desired surface charge, provide high water flux and significant retention of low molecular weight molecules. In this study, a thin film of copper (II)-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate (Cu-BTC) clusters was anchored on the surface of a chitosan (CS)-coated polyethersulfone (PES) membrane to improve the surface properties as well as performance (permeability, heavy metal removal efficiency, and antifouling activity) of the membrane. Characterization techniques, such as FE-SEM, EDX, XPS and AFM, zeta potential and water contact-angle measurements, verified that Cu-BTC was successfully anchored on the CS layer. The Cu-BTC/CS membrane exhibited higher surface hydrophilicity and roughness compared to the pristine one. It also demonstrated a water flux of 44 L m−2h−1 and a manganese removal efficiency of 86%, while the membrane coated only with CS had an average water flux of 39 L m−2h−1 and a manganese removal efficiency of 78%. Compatibility and interfacial interactions between the Cu-BTC clusters and the CS layer were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD). MD simulations indicated that the Cu-BTC clusters increased the affinity of the membrane for water molecules. The anchored Cu-BTC clusters also improved the antibacterial activity of the membrane; the Cu-BTC/CS membrane inactivated 83% of Escherichia coli bacteria, while the pristine CS membrane 47% of the bacteria. The Cu-BTC/CS membrane also demonstrated interesting anti-fouling properties against both organic and biological foulants.

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                             Type                         Experimental, Computational

                             Publication           Journal of Membrane Science

                             Date                          October 2019

                             Links                        URL

                    

 

 Tags

copper MOF, antifouling, membrane, nanofiltration, nanocomposite, chemical, 

chemistry, bacteria, water, molecular dynamics simulation, metal-organic framework

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