Inspired by the rational design concept, a novel antimicrobial agent zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)/graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized and utilized as a novel and efficient bactericidal agent to fabricate antimicrobial thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes via interfacial polymerization. The resultant hybrid nanosheets not only integrates the merits of both ZIF-8 and GO but also yields a uniform dispersion of ZIF-8 onto GO nanosheets simultaneously, thus effectively eliminating the agglomeration of ZIF-8 in the active layer of membranes. A ZIF-8/GO thin film nanocomposite (TFN-ZG) membrane with typical water permeability (40.63 L m(-2) h(-1) MPa(-1)) allows for efficient bivalent salt removal (rejections of Na2SO4 and MgSO4 were 100% and 77%, respectively). Furthermore, the synthesized ZIF-8/GO nanocomposites were verified to have an optimal antimicrobial activity (MIC,128 μg/mL) in comparison with ZIF-8 and GO separately, which sufficiently endowed the TFN-ZG membrane with excellent antimicrobial activity (84.3% for TFN-ZG3). Besides, the antimicrobial mechanisms of ZIF-8/GO hybrid nanosheets and TFN-ZG membranes were proposed. ZIF-8/GO functionalized membrane with high antimicrobial activity and salt retention denoted its great potential in water desalination, and we suggest that ZIF-8 based crystal may offer a new pathway for the synthesis of a multifunctional bactericide.
Keywords: ZIF-8; antimicrobial; graphene oxides; in situ growth; nanofiltration.