Efficacy of CNT-bound polyelectrolyte membrane by spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) technique on water purification
2014
Liu, Lei | Son, Moon | Park, Hosik | Celik, Evrim | Bhattacharjee, Chiranjib | Choi, Heechul
This study demonstrates the properties of surface-modified polyethersulfone (PES) composite ultrafiltration (UF) membranes prepared by a spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) technique. The coating layers on the PES substrate consist of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) with and without functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs) as the blending additive. The composite membrane acquired a negative surface charge and the hydrophilicity of the membrane increased after adding hydrophilic f-MWCNTs. The pure water permeation tests revealed that the water flux was dependent on the f-MWCNTs/polyelectrolyte weight ratio and the number of PEMs. The prepared membrane showed slower flux reduction and lower fouling ratio (Rₜ) by humic acid (HA) filtration tests. Moreover, the flux recovery ratio (FRR) after deionized (DI) water flushing was improved significantly (up to 81%) compared with the PES substrate (46%), which indicated the enhancement of anti-fouling properties. The current work presents a facile way to modify the commercial membrane surface with tuned water flux and enhanced anti-fouling properties.
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