Reverse osmosis (RO) technology faces a serious problem of membrane fouling which can be alleviated by using antifouling RO membranes. In this work, antifouling RO membranes were prepared by PDA-assisted ATRP reaction which controllable grafted polyacrylic acid (PAA) brushes on the surface of RO membranes. A polydopamine intermediate layer containing atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIBB) was prepared on the virgin RO membrane, and PAA brushes were then controlled grafted by ATRP reaction. The surface roughness and water contact angles of the membranes with PAA brushes decreased, while the hydrophilicity and negative charge enhanced. The antifouling ability of the modified membranes increased while the permselectivity showed no compromised. The optimal modified membrane showed a 27.8% increase in flux and an almost invisible decrease in rejection in comparison with the virgin membrane and performed a lower flux reduction rate and a higher flux recovery rate when bovine serum albumin and lysozyme were used as model foulants. No special equipment was required in the whole process. This work provides a mild, simple and controllable strategy for preparation of antifouling RO membranes.

Preparation of antifouling RO membrane with polyacrylic acid brushes through polydopamine coating assisted ATRP

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