Epitaxially grown MOF membranes with photocatalytic bactericidal activity for biofouling mitigation in desalination

In this study, we demonstrated the antifouling MOF membrane via the in-situ growth of metal azolate framework-4 (MAF-4) on polyethersulfone (PES) substrates and then epitaxial growth of MAF-7. The basal MAF4 layer, which was confirmed to bind to the substrate by chelation, was flawless to ensure the desalination performance. The upper MAF-7 shell, which was confirmed to possess crystal characteristics and leave an unbound nitrogen atom, was hydrophilic and smooth to subserve the membrane permeability and antiadhesion. The as-prepared MAF-7@4/PES membrane exhibited exceptional salt rejection (98.7% for NaCl) and preferable permeability (1.24 L m- 2 h-1 MPa- 1), along with a flux decline ratio of 22.4% by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the model foulant. The synergy of MAF-4 and MAF-7 enhanced the photocatalytic activity of membranes probably imputed to the almost perfect lattice match at the junction interface of epitaxial growth, leading to a bactericidal rate of nearly 100%. The main bactericidal mechanism was proved to be massive detected reactive oxygen species (center dot OH, H2O2 and center dot O2- ) generated under visible light, rather than the role of leached metal ions and ligand precursor as recognized. Finally, the significant reduction in flux loss and the inhibition of biofilm formation in dynamic filtration indicated MAF-7@4/PES membrane had the potential for the application of desalination with a prominent antifouling property.

Automated summary

In this study, an antifouling MOF membrane was developed by growing MAF-4 and epitaxially growing MAF-7 on PES substrates, leading to exceptional salt rejection, high permeability, and nearly 100% bactericidal rate. The synergistic effect of MAF-4 and MAF-7 enhanced photocatalytic activity, with the main bactericidal mechanism being the generation of reactive oxygen species under visible light. The membrane also showed a significant reduction in flux loss and inhibition of biofilm formation, indicating potential for desalination applications.