Conductive polyethersulfone membrane facilely prepared by simultaneous phase inversion method for enhanced...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Traditional membranes face limitations like the permeability-selectivity trade-off and fouling.
• Developing conductive membranes with mechanical strength and stable performance remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile method for preparing electrically conductive polyethersulfone (PES) membranes.
• To enhance membrane separation performance and anti-fouling capabilities through nanocomposite design.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous phase inversion technique was employed to fabricate nanocomposite membranes.
• Carboxylic multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene (Gr) were incorporated into a PES matrix.
• The nanocomposite membranes were characterized for electrical conductivity and separation performance.

Main Results:

• The resulting MWCNT/Gr/PES nanocomposite membranes exhibited enhanced electrical conductivity (0.10 S/cm).
• The membranes achieved 98% retention of Cu(II) ions with a high flux (94.5 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹) at 0.1 MPa.
• Improved anti-fouling properties were observed during protein filtration due to electrostatic repulsion and hydrogen evolution.

Conclusions:

• The facile fabrication strategy yields conductive PES membranes with superior mechanical and separation performance.
• The developed membranes show significant potential for electro-assistant membrane filtration, particularly for fouling control.
• This approach offers a promising solution for advanced water treatment and separation processes.