Influence of ZnO Nanomaterial Shape on UF Membrane Properties: a Comparative Study Between Nanoparticles and Nanowires

Abstract

Membrane research has managed to reach ever greater heights. The optimization of membrane processes is of common interest to industry, research and the domestic environment. Nanomaterials have been progressively researched in the membrane sector within the last decade, contributing in particular to their beneficial properties for the prevention of membrane fouling. This research investigates the effect of two shapes of ZnO nanomaterials, respectively nanoparticles and nanowires, on the properties of ultrafiltration membranes composed of 25 wt.% polysulfone. The method of membrane manufacturing is phase inversion, the immersion precipitation technique, and the procedure of nanomaterial incorporation into the polymeric matrix is known as blending. The results demonstrated the positive influence of nanomaterials on the performance of membranes, regardless of their shape, compared to the control membrane. In terms of permeability, the membrane with addition of ZnO nanoparticles showed an increase of 207.19 %, while the membrane with addition of zinc oxide nanowires recorded an increase of 89.16%.

Morphological effects of spherical SiO2 and hexagonal mesoporous MCM‐41 nanoparticles in polyacrylonitrile mixed matrix membranes on the biofouling mitigation in short‐term filtration

“…Image J software was used to analyze the average pore size in the top surface of the fabricated membranes and also the results are presented in Table 4. Meanwhile, the porosity and average pore size of the PAN‐SiO 2 and PAN‐MCM41 membranes increase slightly compared to pure PAN membrane 18,20 . As can be observed in Table 4, by adding more NPs, the porosity and average pore size have been reduced due to the high viscosity of the casting solution and accumulation of NP 27,35 .…”

“…Meanwhile, the porosity and average pore size of the PAN-SiO 2 and PAN-MCM41 membranes increase slightly compared to pure PAN membrane. 18,20 As can be observed in Table 4, by adding more NPs, the porosity and average pore size have been reduced due to the high viscosity of the casting solution and accumulation of NP. 27,35 The reason behind this occurrence can be attributed to the NP's particular characteristics, including their substantial surface area and their high surface energy, which leads to van der Waals interactions and a propensity to accumulate, adhere, and clump together.…”

“…16,17 With respect to membrane optimization used in separation and purification processes via blending methods, it is therefore necessary to take NPs morphology into account. Pintilie et al 18 reported the effect of ZnO morphologies on mitigating the fouling of polysulfone membranes. In another study, mixed matrix polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were blended with SBA-15 and MCM-41 NP and tested for turbidity removal.…”

Influence of Alumina Nanoparticles on the Mechanical Properties of a Bioresin Composite

“…Gloss is in general influenced by material microstructure, average dimensions, form and refraction index of the composite filler, followed by the viscosity, homogeneity and index of refraction of the fillermatrix system [29,30]. Lefever et al (2012) [29] stated that the gloss of a filler-matrix system will decrease with increase in filler size and also with lowering homogeneity characteristic.…”

Medical Waste Water Treatment by Membrane Filtration

“…The polymer concentration is important for the permeation properties and in the same time influences the rejection properties. Many researchers improve the membrane properties by adding additives in the membrane structures [12][13][14][15]. Additives like ZnO, TiO2 nanoparticles increase the porosity of the membranes and reduce the surface roughness.…”