Green Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles as an Effective Antibiofouling Material for Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Ultrafiltration Membrane

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized using the aqueous extract of the Paronychia argentea Lam (P. argentea) wild plant. The results showed that the conversion of Ag+ to Ag0 nanoparticles ratio reached 96.5% as determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), with a negative zeta potential (ζ) of −21.3 ± 7.68 mV of AgNPs expected to improve the stability of synthesized AgNPs. AgNP antibacterial activity has been examined against Streptococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) was 4.9 µL/mL for both E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, while the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) were 19.9 µL/mL and 4.9 µL/mL for S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. The synthesized AgNPs were incorporated in ultrafiltration polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) membranes and showed remarkable antibiofouling behavior against both bacterial strains. The membranes were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The contact angle and porosity of the membrane were also determined. The efficiency of the membranes regarding rejection rate was assessed using bovine serum albumin (BSA). It was found in the flux experiments that membranes BSA rejection was 99.4% and 98.7% with and without AgNPs, respectively.

PVDF/MOFs mixed matrix ultrafiltration membrane for efficient water treatment

“…Meanwhile, the obtained membrane had an outstanding antifouling property due to the high hydrophilicity of the modified membrane. Currently, an increasing number of nanomaterials have been attempted to be blended into PVDF matrix, such as metal nanoparticles (Alnairat et al, 2021), covalent organic frameworks (COFs) (Xu et al, 2020;Qian et al, 2022), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) (Ayyaru et al, 2019;Gholami et al, 2022) etc. Thus, the choose and control of nanoparticles in UF membrane is crucial important.…”

Current Status and Advancement of Nanomaterials within Polymeric Membranes for Water Purification

“…These nanoparticles exhibited impressive antifouling performance against bacterial strains like Streptococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), as documented by Alnairat and co-workers. 46 Another study also reported the incorporation of AgNPs into polyamide 12 membranes that were obtained by the selective laser sintering method that was followed by washing, pretreatment, and functionalization with alkoxides and silanes. 47 More studies that report the use of AgNPs in polymeric membranes include the incorporation into poly(ether sulfone) membranes to develop antibacterial and antifouling ultrafiltration membranes 48 and into polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes among others.…”

Enhanced permeability and antifouling properties of polyvinylidene fluoride ultrafiltration membrane with hydrophilic P(AMPS‐co‐MMA) copolymer

“…Hence, it is highly desired to explore more investigations focused on the blending materials to enhance the properties of PVDF membrane. 37,38 The amphiphilic copolymers have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic chains, while the hydrophobic segments form easily the entanglement with PVDF, are helpful to improve the dispersion and compatibility of the additives in membranes solutions. The hydrophilic segments can make the hydrophilic group segregation on the membrane surface to bind with water molecules and form hydrated layers which resist the adsorption of foulants.…”

“…It is revealed that the better dispersion and compatibility between inorganic and polymers can avoid the formation of defective interfaces in modified membranes, but the aggregation of nanoparticles would have a negative effect on permeability and antifouling performance. Hence, it is highly desired to explore more investigations focused on the blending materials to enhance the properties of PVDF membrane 37,38 …”