Fabrication of a novel hollow fiber membrane decorated with functionalized Fe2O3 nanoparticles: towards sustainable water treatment and biofouling control

Abstract

The development of sustainable, surface-functionalized hollow fiber membranes with advanced nanomaterials has enabled the tailoring and targeted control of their physicochemical properties. This provides the material with improved features of hydrophilicity and permeability, excellent selectivity, and superior antifouling and antimicrobial activity. We explored a new strategy using well dispersed functionalized Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles to fabricate a polyetherimide nanocomposite hollow fiber membrane with enhanced surface and anti-biofouling properties. To confirm the membrane modification, a series of characterizations such as contact angle, surface energy, water uptake capacity, porosity, zeta potential, and morphological analysis were performed. The permeation experiment indicated superior hydrodynamic permeability and antifouling properties with more than 95% rejection of BSA protein molecules after inclusion of a 1.5 wt% additive dosage. Moreover, the nanocomposite membrane exhibited a relatively higher normalized flux and rejection up to 94% during the filtration of hazardous natural organic matter (NOM) with differing parameters such as the feed solution pH and ionic strength. The presence of modified Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles in the membrane significantly inhibits the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms on the membrane surface, resulting in an enhanced anti-biofouling property. In particular, the demonstrated method illustrates a fast, facile strategy for the functionalization of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles to improve the membrane properties and anti-biofouling activity, giving them great potential for effective and sustainable water treatment applications.