Influence of CO and PES support modules on filtration performance of 3D printed chitosan/AgNP/GO composite membranes

Abstract

The filtration performance of Chitosan/silver-nanoparticles/graphene oxide (CS/AgNP/GO) composite membranes modified with Dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) were investigated in relation to the impacts of cotton (CO) and polyester (PES) fabric support modules. The contact angle of the modified CS matrix decreased with proper blending of membrane composites, which improved fluid transport due to strongly bound water oxygen-containing functional groups present in the modified chitosan, according to the FTIR report. After the addition of DMAc to the CS matrix, the composite's thermal stability increased, and the water absorption of the CO fabric was 16.3 % higher than that of the polyester (PES), indicating enhanced wettability. The average permeation flux for the CO-supported CS/AgNP/GO membrane was 50.38 Lm−2h−1, while that of PES and unsupported membranes were 46.28 Lm−2h−1 and 38.8 Lm−2h−1 respectively. Additionally, all the membrane samples demonstrated acceptable tensile strength and antifouling characteristics against Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), with the unsupported CS/AgNP/GO composite displaying the highest fouling inhibition of 97.3 %. Therefore, the 3D-printed modified CS membranes can effectively be used for inhibiting fouling in water treatment.

Keywords

• Modified-chitosan
• 3D printing
• Filtration membranes
• Fabric support
• Wettability
• Permeation flux