Antibacterial Filtration Membranes Based on PVDF-co-HFP Nanofibers with the Addition of Medium-Chain 1-Monoacylglycerols

Abstract

The efficiency of filtration membranes is substantially lowered by bacterial attachments and potential fouling processes, which reduce their durability and lifecycle. The antibacterial and antifouling properties exhibited by the added materials play a substantial role in their application. We tested a material poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PDVFco-HFP) based on an electrospun copolymer, where an agent was incorporated with a small amount of ester of glycerol consecutively with caprylic, capric, and lauric acids. Each of these three materials differing in the esters (1-monoacylglycerol, 1-MAG) used was prepared with three weighted concentrations of 1-MAG (1, 2, and 3 wt %). The presence of 1-MAG with an amphiphilic structure resulted in the hydrophilic character of the prepared materials that contributed to the filtration performance. The tested materials (membranes) were characterized with rheological, optical (scanning electron microscopy, SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and other methods to evaluate antibacterial and antifouling activities. The pure water flux was 6 times higher than that of the neat PVDF-co-HFP membrane when the added 1-MAG attained only 1 wt %. It was experimentally shown that the PVDF-co-HFP/1-MAG membrane with high wettability improved antibacterial activity and antifouling ability. This membrane is highly promising for water treatment due to the safety of antibacterial 1-MAG additives.

Reuse of Textile Waste to Production of the Fibrous Antibacterial Membrane with Filtration Potential

“…This is due to the character of MAG and the type of its adsorption with hydrophilic groups oriented into the surrounding. In the previous studies, a similar behavior at PVB/MAG 10 and PVDF/MAG 12 fibrous membranes was found [ 74 , 75 ].…”

Zein-Based Films Containing Monolaurin/Eugenol or Essential Oils with Potential for Bioactive Packaging Application

“…The peaks at 1729, 2849, and 2957 cm −1 can be observed in the zein film enriched with active agents ( Figure 3 b,c), revealing the C=O and C-O stretching pertaining to the structure of the monolaurin molecule. A predominant role of monolaurin was confirmed, since the spectra of the sample with monolaurin and thyme essential oil did not reveal any significant changes [ 30 ].…”

Violacein-embedded nanofiber filters with antiviral and antibacterial activities

“…The PAN-NF allows bacterial growth after 2 hours of incubation, which translates to just a 9.6 % reduction rate compared to that of the control (commercial cotton fabric). On the other hand, VIO-NF exhibited effective biocidal characteristics with a reduced rate of 75.5 % within just 2 hours, indicating that VIO-NF is quite effective even when benchmarked against previously reported composite polymer nanofibers ( Table S2 ) [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] . In particular, the porous nanofiber network of VIO-NF enlarges the contact area for the target bacteria to induce a biostatic effect, immobilizing the bacteria and accelerating cell death.…”

“…One approach to mitigate the issues with pathogen contamination is to directly apply antiviral and/or antimicrobial agents ( e.g. , polyanionic/cationic polymers, metal-organic frameworks, graphene oxides, and metal particles) onto the filter matrix, either on the outer surface and/or in the interior matrix, to inactivate the captured viruses as well as bacterias [5] , [15] , [16] , [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] . However, previous studies often accompanied several problems such as poor adhesion, nonuniform coverage, and heavyweight of antimicrobial agents, making them impractical [22] , [23] .…”