The reliability and ease of operation of membrane-based water purification systems has led to their increased use in water and wastewater treatment. However, water and energy are mutually dependent critical resources; to produce clean water requires energy and the production of energy requires large volumes of water. The overall goal of the talk is to illustrate how bioinspired approaches can be used to enhance the properties of ultrafiltration membranes. Our first approach explores if chemistry and structure-property relationships can be used to reduce the energy required to operate ultrafiltration membranes. Nanofiber-enhanced membranes hold great potential in water purification applications due to their high surface-to-volume ratios, large porosity (up to over 80%), and tailorable surface functionality. We determined that nanofiber-enhanced membranes exhibit the same molecular weight cut-off as the base membranes. Irrespective of their chemistry (cellulose or polysulfone), nanofiber layers applied to the surface of ultrafiltration membranes exhibit increased flux over non-functionalized membranes and offer a unique opportunity for further tailoring. In our second approach, I will provide an overview of our recent exploration into how bioinspired immobilized liquids can dramatically increase the antifouling properties of membranes that have consistent flux over ten cycles of operation.

Antifouling performance of bioinspired membranes for water purification

ACS Spring 2022

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