Development of antimicrobial and antifouling nanocomposite membranes by a phase inversion technique

Membrane separation technology is preferred over conventional techniques because of its simple operation and high efficiency. The major drawback of using a pristine polymer for membrane application includes its rapid fouling tendency, which affects the separation efficiency of membranes; hence, they need to be modified using physical or chemical techniques. Recent developments involve the incorporation of nanoparticles within the polymer to achieve high efficiency along with stability. The hydrophobic membranes of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) blended with titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were synthesized using a phase inversion technique to develop an antifouling membrane. The effects of TiO2 loading on the permeation flux and antimicrobial behavior of the membranes were systematically investigated, and the experimental results were also justified using the theoretical model. Extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy were used to study the membrane morphology. It was observed that the antimicrobial properties of different PVDF/TiO2 ratios against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) showed excellent results compared with PVDF membrane. The antimicrobial activity was also evaluated to study the exponential growth phases' retardation of E. coli over the membrane surface. The experimental result for bovine serum albumin filtration was also studied and high protein rejection was achieved for PVDF/TiO2 (1.5 wt%) membrane.