Water Science and Technology (Mar 2022)

The synthesis of an amended membrane coated with graphene oxide and dopamine and guanidyl-based modifier and its antifouling properties

  • Li Dongmei,
  • Li Wenjie,
  • Li Shubin,
  • Zhan Zhiqiang,
  • Liao Junyu,
  • Zhang Tianyue,
  • Liu Xiaoyong,
  • Huang yi,
  • Chen Haiqiang,
  • Liao Zhicheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2022.044
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 85, no. 5
pp. 1470 – 1483

Abstract

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The membrane fouling issue has aroused great concern. To improve their antifouling properties, surface grafting with oxidative deposition were employed to amend a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The modifiers were amino-modified graphene oxide (AMGO), dopamine (DPA) and 1,3-diaminoguanidine hydrochloride (DAGH). To take bovine serum albumin (BSA, 1 g/l) as an example of organic materials, BSA interception rate and pure water flux recovery rate increased to 93.65% and 66.74%, respectively, while the corresponding values for the original membrane were much lower (72.82% and 31.72%). The optimum synthesis conditions were found to be 1.5 mg/ml of DPA, 1 wt% of DAGH, 2 mg/ml of AMGO, 4 h of DPA oxidation deposition time and 1 h of AMGO grafting time. Many functional groups like C = N, -NH2, C = O and -OH improved the membrane surface hydrophilicity leading to a higher resistance to organic pollution. Dopamine and guanidyl facilitated the antimicrobial performance of the modified membrane, whose antimicrobial rate was up to 96%, while the raw membrane had no antimicrobial activity. The amended membrane possessed 40% higher mechanical strength than the initial one. It could withstand a high pumping suction force. The noteworthy property was that the irreversible fouling rate decreased by 55%. Therefore, the amended membrane could restore its flux much more easily. HIGHLIGHTS The graphene oxide, dopamine and guanidine-based composite modification offered high hydrophilic and antibacterial radicals.; The irreversible pollution rate of the modified membrane decreased by 55%, its pure water flux recovery rate increased by twice and BSA interception rate was around 94%.; The antimicrobial rate of the modified membrane reached 96%, while the original one did not display any antimicrobial behaviors.;

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