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Implementation of layer-by-layer assembly to ameliorate dopamine-incorporated PAN nanofiltration membrane: application toward forward osmosis process

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Abstract

In the present study, poly acrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiltration membrane has been tailored for applying in forward osmosis (FO) process via the combination of two modification approaches including blending and layer-by-layer (LBL)-surface modification techniques. Firstly, dopamine was embedded in PAN nanofiltration membrane to improve its hydrophilicity and antifouling features so that at the optimal loading rate (0.1 wt%) water contact angle (WCA) of the bare membrane declined from 62.7° to 54.5°, its pure water flux augmented from 3.59 to 7.2 kg/m2 h, and its flux recovery ratio (FRR) increased from 70.6 to 92.3%. Secondly, LBL technique has been performed on the optimal MM membrane’s surface (with 0.1 wt%) by using poly diallyl dimethyl ammonium and poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) sodium salt as poly cation and poly anion, respectively. From the obtained results, the insertion of 5 bilayers on the optimally dopamine–incorporated membrane’s surface showed an outperformance compared to the others with FRR and WCA of 99.2% and 34.5°, respectively. Finally, the performances of the synthesized membranes were evaluated in a FO setup containing NaCl (1M) as a draw solution and deionized water as a feed solution. Pursuant to the obtained results, the optimally tailored membrane by using both the modification methods revealed the lowest reverse solute flux (3.9 g/m2 h) and a moderate pure water flux (3 l/m2 h), corroborating its potential to be used in an effectual FO process.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) for the full financial support (No: 99032084) provided for this research work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Gas and Petroleum, Yasouj University, Gachsaran, 75918-74831, Iran

    Azar Asadi

  2. Department of Energy, Materials and Energy Research Center, P.O. Box 14155-4777, Tehran, Iran

    Foad Gholami

  3. Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Razi University, P.O. Box 67144‐14971, Kermanshah, Iran

    Foad Gholami

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  1. Azar Asadi
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by FG and AA. The first draft of the manuscript was written by FG and AA commented on previous versions of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Azar Asadi.

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Asadi, A., Gholami, F. Implementation of layer-by-layer assembly to ameliorate dopamine-incorporated PAN nanofiltration membrane: application toward forward osmosis process. Polym. Bull. 81, 5967–5990 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-023-04979-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-023-04979-z

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