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Comparative impact of SiO 2 and TiO 2 nanofillers on the performance of thin‐film nanocomposite membranes
Author(s) -
UrperBayram Gulsum Melike,
Bossa Nathan,
Warsinger David M.,
Koyuncu Ismail,
Wiesner Mark
Publication year - 2020
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.49382
Subject(s) - membrane , nanofiltration , chemical engineering , nanocomposite , materials science , polyamide , fouling , thin film composite membrane , permeation , permeability (electromagnetism) , humic acid , reverse osmosis , polymer chemistry , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , fertilizer
Nanoparticle (NP) additions can substantially improve the performance of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration polyamide (PA) membranes. However, the relative impacts of leading additives are poorly understood. In this study, we compare the effects of TiO 2 and SiO 2 NPs as nanofillers in PA membranes with respect to permeate flux and the rejection of organic matter (OM) and salts. Thin‐film nanocomposite (TFN) PA membranes were fabricated using similarly sized TiO 2 15 nm and SiO 2 (10 – 20 nm) NPs, introduced at four different NP concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.2, and 0.5% w/v). Compared with PA membranes fabricated without NPs, membranes fabricated with nanofillers improved membranes hydrophilicity, membrane porosity, and consequently the permeability. Permeability was increased by 24 and 58% with the addition of TiO 2 and SiO 2 , respectively. Rejection performance and fouling behavior of the membranes were examined with salt ( MgSO 4 and NaCl ) and OM (humic acid [HA] and tannic acid [TA]). The addition of TiO 2 and SiO 2 nanofillers to the PA membranes improved the permeability of these membranes and also increased the rejection of MgSO 4 , especially for TiO 2 membranes. The addition of TiO 2 and SiO 2 to the membranes exhibited a higher flux and lower flux decline ratio than the control membrane in OM solution filtration. TFN membranes' HA and TA rejections were at least 77 and 71%, respectively. The surface change properties of NPs appear to play a dominant role in determining their effects as nanofillers in the composite membrane matrix through a balance of changes produced in membrane pore size and membrane hydrophilicity.