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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of NiMOF@MGO-Modified Polysulfone Membranes for Heavy Metal Removal from
Javad Hashemibeni1, Asif Jamil1, Asta Bronusiene2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų 56, LT-51424 Kaunas, Lithuania.
Abstract:
This work presents a detailed analysis of polysulfone (PSF) based mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) modified with NiMOF@MGO for water purification. Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated into the NiMOF@GO framework, with successful formation confirmed by FT-IR, XRD, BET, TGA, and SEM analyses. Membranes were prepared via phase inversion and modified with varying NiMOF@MGO contents. SEM, AFM, and contact angle analyses demonstrated enhanced membrane hydrophilicity with increasing MOF concentration, reducing the contact angle from 59.74° (0.05 wt%) to 49.70° (0.2 wt%). The highest flux of 117.85 L/m2·h was observed for the PMM-0.2 membrane. Heavy metal removal was most efficient at pH 6, with the PMM-0.1 membrane achieving 95.97% and 95.92% rejection for Pb2+ and Cu2+, respectively. In oil-water separation, PMM-0.1 exhibited optimal performance, with a water flux of 45.84 L/m2·h. Antifouling tests showed the PMM-0.2 membrane had the highest flux recovery of 85.97%, indicating improved fouling resistance. Overall, incorporation of NiMOF@MGO significantly enhanced membrane hydrophilicity, flux, selectivity and antifouling performance, demonstrating its potential for advanced water purification applications.
