Multifunctional Core-Shell Zwitterionic Nanoparticles To Build Robust, Stable Antifouling Membranes via Magnetic-Controlled Surface Segregation

Hongguang Sun; Yanqiu Zhang; Songwei Li; Yongping Bai; Jun Ma; Lu Shao

doi:10.1021/acsami.9b13862

Multifunctional Core-Shell Zwitterionic Nanoparticles To Build Robust, Stable Antifouling Membranes via Magnetic-Controlled Surface Segregation

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2019 Sep 25;11(38):35501-35508. doi: 10.1021/acsami.9b13862. Epub 2019 Sep 13.

Authors

Hongguang Sun¹, Yanqiu Zhang¹, Songwei Li¹, Yongping Bai^{1

2}, Jun Ma³, Lu Shao¹

Affiliations

¹ MIIT Key Laboratory of Critical Materials Technology for New Energy Conversion and Storage, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001 , PR China.
² Wuxi HIT New Material Research Institute Company Limited , Wuxi 214183 , PR China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment , Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150090 , PR China.

PMID: 31482699
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b13862

Abstract

Novel multifunctional core-shell nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄@PSBMA NPs) with magnetic and zwitterionic properties were first synthesized and efficiently incorporated into the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes via magnetically controlled surface segregation toward the better water-energy-food nexus. The combination of zwitterionic polymers poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) and Fe₃O₄ particles can improve the compatibility of additives with the PVDF matrix and significantly improve the migration of Fe₃O₄@PSBMA NPs onto membrane surfaces under magnetic fields during nonsolvent-induced phase separations. The modified membrane with surface-enriched multifunctional zwitterionic NPs had an enhanced water flux (168%, ∼630.5 L m^-2 h^-1), excellent fouling resistance (∼93.8%), and increased rejection to bovine serum albumin (94.1%). Most importantly, the PVDF/M-Fe₃O₄@PSBMA membrane had excellent stability under the long-term filtration test for practical water-treatment applications.

Keywords: antifouling; long-term stability; magnetic-controlled surface segregation; membrane separation; zwitterionic nanoparticles.