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Synergistic effect of silica nanoparticles in the matrix of a poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate coating layer for the surface modification of polyamide nanofiltration membranes
Author(s) -
Vatanpour Vahid,
Kavian Mostafa
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.43793
Subject(s) - membrane , chemical engineering , polyamide , materials science , contact angle , ethylene glycol , nanoparticle , polymer chemistry , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , surface modification , interfacial polymerization , nanofiltration , chemistry , polymer , monomer , composite material , nanotechnology , biochemistry , engineering
In this study, a commercial polyamide nanofiltration membrane was modified by a combination of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) in situ polymerization and silica (SiO 2 ) nanoparticles. The PEGDA layer was polymerized on the surface of the membranes alone or mixed with SiO 2 nanoparticle. The surface modification influence on the water flux, salt rejection, and antifouling behavior was investigated. The effects of the nanoparticles and PEGDAylation on the membrane properties were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy analyses. The membranes that were in contact with 30 wt % PEGDA and then treated with ultraviolet light for 5 min had a better water flux than the unmodified membrane. The fouling resistance of the membranes to a foulant solution containing bovine serum albumin, humic acid, and sodium sulfate were studied, and the results show that the membrane with 30 wt % PEGDA had better antifouling properties. After the weight percentage of PEGDA for the prepolymerization solution was optimized (30 wt % was the best), the SiO 2 nanoparticle concentration in the prepolymerization matrix was optimized. The presence of SiO 2 nanoparticles in the PEGDA layer increased the membrane flux. The maximum water flux and good antifouling properties were obtained for 0.5 wt % SiO 2 nanoparticles in a 30 wt % PEGDA layer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133 , 43793.