Fine-Tuning the Surface of Forward Osmosis Membranes via Grafting Graphene Oxide: Performance Patterns and Biofouling Propensity

Hanaa M. Hegab, Ahmed ElMekawy, Thomas G. Barclay, Andrew Michelmore, Linda Zou, Christopher P. Saint, Milena Ginic-Markovic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

104 Scopus citations

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were attached to the polyamide selective layer of thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes through a poly l-Lysine (PLL) intermediary using either layer-by-layer or hybrid (H) grafting strategies. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, zeta potential, and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the successful attachment of GO/PLL, the surface modification enhancing both the hydrophilicity and smoothness of the membranes surface demonstrated by water contact angle, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The biofouling resistance of the FO membranes determined using an adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence test showed a 99% reduction in surviving bacteria for GO/PLL-H modified membranes compared to pristine membrane. This antibiofouling property of the GO/PLL-H modified membrane was reflected in reduced flux decline compared to all other samples when filtering brackish water under biofouling conditions. Further, the high density and tightly bound GO nanosheets using the hybrid modification reduced the reverse solute flux compared to the pristine, which reflects improved membrane selectivity. These results illustrate that the GO/PLL-H modification is a valuable addition to improve the performance of FO TFC membranes.

Original languageBritish English
Pages (from-to)18004-18016
Number of pages13
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume7
Issue number32
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 Aug 2015

Keywords

  • antifouling
  • forward osmosis
  • grafting
  • graphene oxide
  • thin film composite membrane

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