Surface hydrophilisation and antibacterial functionalisation for microporous polypropylene membranes.

Area of Science:

• Polymer science
• Materials science
• Surface chemistry

Background:

• Polymer membranes, especially microporous polypropylene, suffer from hydrophobicity leading to biofouling.
• Biofouling, caused by protein adsorption and microorganism attachment, limits membrane applications in water treatment and biomedicine.
• Surface functionalization is essential to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review surface modification strategies for polymer membranes.
• To highlight the necessity of hydrophilisation and antibacterial functionalisation.
• To detail the interfacial crosslinking approach for membrane surface modification.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on polymer membrane surface modification.
• Focus on strategies addressing hydrophobicity and lack of functionality.
• Detailed presentation of the interfacial crosslinking method.

Main Results:

• Surface modification is key to improving membrane performance.
• Hydrophilisation and antibacterial functionalisation effectively combat biofouling.
• The interfacial crosslinking approach offers a promising strategy.

Conclusions:

• Surface modification is crucial for enhancing polymer membrane performance.
• Addressing hydrophobicity and adding antibacterial properties prevents biofouling.
• Interfacial crosslinking is a viable method for functionalizing membranes.