Novel Polyvinyl Butyral/Monoacylglycerol Nanofibrous Membrane with Antifouling Activity

Monoacylglycerols (MAGs) have proven of great interest to the foodstuffs industry due to the promising antibacterial activity they show for controlling microbial contamination. Prior to this paper, this antibacterial agent had not been incorporated in a nanofibrous membrane. This study details convenient fabrication of nanofibrous membranes based on polyvinyl butyral (PVB) containing various concentrations of monocaprin (MAG 10) by an electrospinning process. Increasing the concentration of MAG 10 caused differences to appear in the shape of the nanofibers, in addition to which the level of wettability was heightened. Besides exhibiting antibacterial properties, the functional membranes demonstrated especially good antifouling activity. The novel and efficient nanofibrous membranes described have the potential to find eventual application in medical or environmental fields.

Highly Dual Antifouling and Antibacterial Ultrafiltration Membranes Modified with Silane Coupling Agent and Capsaicin-Mimic Moieties

Dual antifouling and antibacterial polysulfone(PSf)/polyethersulfone(PES) hybrid membranes were developed by the synergy of capsaicin-mimic N-(5-methyl acrylamide-2,3,4 hydroxy benzyl) acrylamide (AMTHBA) and vinyl triethylene (b-methoxy ethoxy) silane (VTMES). First, AMTHBA as a natural antimicrobial agent was incorporated into a casting solution via “microwave-assistance (MWA) in situ polymerization-blending” process to construct a hydroxyl-rich environment. Then, VTMES crosslinked to a hydroxyl-rich polymer matrix via hydrolytic condensation, and the influence of VTMES content on the hybrid membrane properties was systematically investigated. When the VTMES added amount was 1.0 wt %, the hybrid membrane achieved an optimal separation performance including a steady-state humic acid (HA) (5 mg/L) permeation flux of 326 L·m−2·h−1 and a rejection percentage of 97%. The antibacterial tests revealed that the hybrid membranes exhibited sustained bactericidal activity and effective inhibition of bacterial adhesion. Besides, the dual-functional membranes were clean as new after two-cycles filtration (with a cleaning efficiency of ~90%), indicating that the network silicone film on the surface benefits the foulant repellence. Hopefully, the dual-functional membranes constructed in this study can be applicable to the pretreatment stage of water treatment.

A 3D nm-thin biomimetic membrane for ultimate molecular separation

Multi-functional membranes with high permeance and selectivity that can mimic nature's designs have tremendous industrial and bio-medical applications.