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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
MIL-88A(Fe) fine-tuned nanocellulose polyvinylidene fluoride membrane for enhanced antifouling capacity via
Zixuan Wu1, Ming Chen1, Xin Ji1
1State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Abstract:
Surface-hydrophilic cellulose nanocrystals modified polyvinylidene fluoride (CNC-PVDF) membranes suffered fouling issues due to poor dispersion and weak interfacial adhesion. Herein, we designed a composite membrane by in-situ growth of MIL-88A(Fe) at CNC (MIL@CNC) through Fe3+-mediated coordination on PVDF matrix (MIL@CNC-PVDF). MIL@CNC could minimize the excessive CNC migration while templating the formation of aligned pores during phase inversion process. Furthermore, it simultaneously imparted a self-cleaning functionality to the membrane. The MIL@CNC-PVDF membrane exhibited a pure water flux of 192.0 L m-2·h-1 and 90.7 % bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection, outperforming those of both bare PVDF and CNC-PVDF. Under visible light exposure, MIL@CNC-PVDF membrane showed superior antifouling performance (95.7 % flux recovery ratio), which arose from size exclusion, electrostatic repulsion, hydration layer and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) for BSA degradation. Life cycle assessment (LCA) demonstrated the reduced environmental impact to highlight its potential for sustainable operation. This study successfully mitigated the fouling issue of ultrafiltration membrane by fine-tuning the structural and physicochemical properties through MIL@CNC integration, providing an emerging solution for long-term wastewater treatment.
