The performance of polyethersulfone nanocomposite membrane in the removal of industrial dyes

In the present study, graphene oxide was functionalized by hyperbranched epoxy and then used as an additive in the polyethersulfone membrane. The process of preparation and characterization of the synthesized hyperbranched epoxy, and graphene oxide modification was investigated by some analysis such as XRD, EDAX, FTIR, NMR, and TGA. Morphology of modified nanostructures, their distribution in the membrane matrix, and morphology of membranes were evaluated by TEM, FESEM analysis. Experimental results showed that the microstructure of membranes was affected and improved; the hydrophilicity nature of membranes increased. Pure water flux of prepared nanocomposite membranes was more than neat polyethersulfone one and is at least 69% higher than the non-modified polyethersulfone membrane. The flux recovery ratio, as a measure of antifouling properties, showed that the amount of fouling had been significantly reduced. More importantly, the prepared mixed matrix membranes exhibited excellent performance in the removal of dyes such as methylene blue, methyl orange (MO), bromothymol blue (BTB), crystal violet (CV), acid red 18, and acid yellow 36.

Automated summary

Graphene oxide functionalized with hyperbranched epoxy was used as an additive in polyethersulfone membrane, resulting in improved microstructure and enhanced hydrophilicity. Characterization of the materials showed excellent fouling resistance and dye removal performance of the mixed matrix membranes.