Surface modification of PVDF membrane by CNC/Cu-MOF-74 for enhancing antifouling property

Membrane fouling is one of the main impediments that limit the wide application of Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. In this study, for the first time, we incorporated the cellulose nanocrystal (CNCs) onto Cu-MOF-74 by physical stirring and then coated the composites on the PVDF membrane to ameliorate the anti-fouling performance. The PVDF membrane with the addition of CNC/Cu-MOF-74 composite showed enhanced hydrophilicity compared with the pristine membrane, which significantly promoted the permeability and anti-fouling performance. The Bovine serum albumin (BSA) multiple-cycle antifouling results revealed that the flux recovery ratio (FRR) value (76.9 %) was much higher than that of the pristine membrane (60.8 %). The enhancement of recovery flux was correlated with the increased electrostatic repulsion and hydrophilicity of the modified membrane according to the contact angle test and Zeta-potential measurement. Meanwhile, the CNC/ Cu-MOF-74 modified membrane showed improved antibacterial efficiency (96.3 % at 4 h) due to the predom-inant antibacterial efficacy of Cu-MOF-74. The efficiently antibacterial achievement of modified membrane was attributed to the release of Cu2+ and the generation of center dot OH. This study proposed a novel modified membrane with excellent antifouling properties and provided new insights into the fabrication of antifouling membranes with outstanding performance.

Automated summary

In this study, cellulose nanocrystal (CNCs) was incorporated onto Cu-MOF-74 and coated on a PVDF membrane to improve its anti-fouling performance. The modified membrane showed enhanced hydrophilicity, permeability, and anti-fouling performance. Additionally, it exhibited improved antibacterial efficiency due to the presence of Cu-MOF-74.