Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment
Porous low-pressure membranes have been used as active membranes in water treatment and as support for thin-film composite membranes used in water desalination and gas separation applications. In this article, microfiltration polysulfone (PSf)mixed-matrix membranes (MMM) containing amine-functionali...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Membranes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/7/678 |
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| author | Omnya Abdalla Abdul Rehman Ahmed Nabeeh Md A. Wahab Ahmed Abdel-Wahab Ahmed Abdala |
| author_facet | Omnya Abdalla Abdul Rehman Ahmed Nabeeh Md A. Wahab Ahmed Abdel-Wahab Ahmed Abdala |
| author_sort | Omnya Abdalla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Porous low-pressure membranes have been used as active membranes in water treatment and as support for thin-film composite membranes used in water desalination and gas separation applications. In this article, microfiltration polysulfone (PSf)mixed-matrix membranes (MMM) containing amine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-NH<sub>2</sub>) were fabricated via a phase inversion process and characterized using XPS, SEM, AFM, DMA, XRD, and contact angle measurements. The effect of GO-NH<sub>2</sub> concentration on membrane morphology, hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, and oil–water separation performance was analyzed. Significant enhancements in membrane hydrophilicity, porosity, mechanical properties, permeability, and selectivity were achieved at very low GO-NH<sub>2</sub> concentrations (0.05–0.2 wt.%). In particular, the water permeability of the membrane containing 0.2 wt.% GO-NH<sub>2</sub> was 92% higher than the pure PSf membrane, and the oil rejection reached 95.6% compared to 91.7% for the pure PSf membrane. The membrane stiffness was also increased by 98% compared to the pure PSf membrane. Importantly, the antifouling characteristics of the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMMs were significantly improved. When filtering 100 ppm bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution, the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMMs demonstrated a slower flux decline and an impressive flux recovery after washing. Notably, the control membrane showed a flux recovery of only 69%, while the membrane with 0.2 wt.% GO-NH<sub>2</sub> demonstrated an exceptional flux recovery of 88%. Furthermore, the membranes exhibited enhanced humidity removal performance, with a permeance increase from 13,710 to 16,408. These results indicate that the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMM is an excellent candidate for reliable oil–water separation and humidity control applications, with notable improvements in antifouling performance. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:50:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03e39f3cadf84e36a71cfb905022e5da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:50:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-03e39f3cadf84e36a71cfb905022e5da2023-11-18T20:26:49ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752023-07-0113767810.3390/membranes13070678Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water TreatmentOmnya Abdalla0Abdul Rehman1Ahmed Nabeeh2Md A. Wahab3Ahmed Abdel-Wahab4Ahmed Abdala5Chemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarChemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarChemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarChemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarChemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarChemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha 23874, QatarPorous low-pressure membranes have been used as active membranes in water treatment and as support for thin-film composite membranes used in water desalination and gas separation applications. In this article, microfiltration polysulfone (PSf)mixed-matrix membranes (MMM) containing amine-functionalized graphene oxide (GO-NH<sub>2</sub>) were fabricated via a phase inversion process and characterized using XPS, SEM, AFM, DMA, XRD, and contact angle measurements. The effect of GO-NH<sub>2</sub> concentration on membrane morphology, hydrophilicity, mechanical properties, and oil–water separation performance was analyzed. Significant enhancements in membrane hydrophilicity, porosity, mechanical properties, permeability, and selectivity were achieved at very low GO-NH<sub>2</sub> concentrations (0.05–0.2 wt.%). In particular, the water permeability of the membrane containing 0.2 wt.% GO-NH<sub>2</sub> was 92% higher than the pure PSf membrane, and the oil rejection reached 95.6% compared to 91.7% for the pure PSf membrane. The membrane stiffness was also increased by 98% compared to the pure PSf membrane. Importantly, the antifouling characteristics of the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMMs were significantly improved. When filtering 100 ppm bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution, the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMMs demonstrated a slower flux decline and an impressive flux recovery after washing. Notably, the control membrane showed a flux recovery of only 69%, while the membrane with 0.2 wt.% GO-NH<sub>2</sub> demonstrated an exceptional flux recovery of 88%. Furthermore, the membranes exhibited enhanced humidity removal performance, with a permeance increase from 13,710 to 16,408. These results indicate that the PSf-GO-NH<sub>2</sub> MMM is an excellent candidate for reliable oil–water separation and humidity control applications, with notable improvements in antifouling performance.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/7/678functionalized graphene oxideair dehumidification membranespolysulfone membranesmechanical propertiesoil–water separationmembrane fouling |
| spellingShingle | Omnya Abdalla Abdul Rehman Ahmed Nabeeh Md A. Wahab Ahmed Abdel-Wahab Ahmed Abdala Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment Membranes functionalized graphene oxide air dehumidification membranes polysulfone membranes mechanical properties oil–water separation membrane fouling |
| title | Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment |
| title_full | Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment |
| title_fullStr | Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment |
| title_short | Enhancing Polysulfone Mixed-Matrix Membranes with Amine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide for Air Dehumidification and Water Treatment |
| title_sort | enhancing polysulfone mixed matrix membranes with amine functionalized graphene oxide for air dehumidification and water treatment |
| topic | functionalized graphene oxide air dehumidification membranes polysulfone membranes mechanical properties oil–water separation membrane fouling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/7/678 |
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