Effect of MAX Phase Ti₃ALC₂ on the Ultrafiltration Membrane Properties and Performance

Membrane fouling remains a major obstacle to ultrafiltration. Due to their effectiveness and minimal energy demand, membranes have been extensively employed in water treatment. To improve the antifouling property of the PVDF membrane, a composite ultrafiltration membrane was created employing the in-situ embedment approach throughout the phase inversion process and utilizing a new 2D material, MAX phase Ti₃ALC₂. The membranes were described using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), CA (water contact angle), and porosity measurements. Additionally, atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were employed. Standard flux and rejection tests were applied to study the produced membranes' performance. Adding Ti₃ALC₂ reduced composite membranes' surface roughness and hydrophobicity compared to the pristine membrane. Porosity and membrane pore size increased with the addition up to 0.3% w/v, which decreased as the additive percentage increased. The mixed matric membrane with 0.7% w/v of Ti₃ALC₂ (M7) had the lowest CA. The alteration in the membranes' properties reflected well on their performance. The membrane with the highest porosity (0.1% w/v of Ti₃ALC₂, M1) achieved the highest pure water and protein solution fluxes of 182.5 and 148.7. The most hydrophilic membrane (M7) recorded the highest protein rejection and flux recovery ratio of 90.6, which was much higher than that of the pristine membrane, 26.2. MAX phase Ti₃ALC₂ is a potential material for antifouling membrane modification because of its protein permeability, improved water permeability, and outstanding antifouling characteristics.