A new approach to tailoring the separation characteristics of polyethersulfone nanofiltration membranes by 8-hydroxyquinoline functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles

8-Hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) was used for modification of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and preparation of polyethersulfone (PES)-based mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by phase inversion process. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The effect of different concentrations of 8-HQ/Fe3O4 NPs into the PES as membrane matrix was investigated by FESEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The performance of prepared membranes was evaluated by the water contact angle, pure water flux (PWF), porosity, means pore size, and salt rejection. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution was used to investigate the antifouling properties of fabricated membranes. The results showed a decreasing water contact angle from 68.1 degrees for the pristine membrane to 38.3 degrees for M5 at 0.5 wt% 8-HQ/Fe3O4 NPs. The PWF enhanced for all mixed matrix membranes compared with the pristine membrane. The highest PWF (21.5L/m(2)h) was measured for M4 at 0.2wt% NPs, Wwhile it was 7.1 L/m(2)h for pristine membrane. Salt rejection improved from 58.55% in M1 (pristine membrane) to 96% in M4 (at 0.2 wt% of 8-HQ/Fe3O4 NPs). Also, the modified membranes showed suitable antifouling property.