Graphene oxide (GO) suffers from excessive coagulation at high concentration which limits its use as membrane nanofiller. This issue can be tackled - among other options - by functionalizing GO with another nano-polymer. In this investigation, third generation of poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) was used to functionalize GO and the GO-PAMAM nanocomposite was incorporated in the polysulfone (Psf) membrane matrix. Synthesized GO- PAMAM was characterized using XRD, while the cross-sectional and surface morphology of the membranes were characterized using FE-SEM and AFM, respectively. The porosity, pore size and contact angle of the membrane were determined using appropriate techniques. The GO-PAMAM incorporated membrane exhibited a pure water permeation flux of 82 LMH/bar, which is 10 times higher than the flux exhibited by the Psf pristine membrane. Fouling tests on the new membrane showed a BSA rejection higher than 99% with an increased flux recovery rate of 10% higher compared to the one obtained using pristine Psf membrane. These preliminary results showed that blending GO-PAMAM nanocomposites in a polysulfone membrane matrix could be a good option to improve the performance of Psf ultrafiltration membranes.

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Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with Poly(Amido Amine) and Its Application in Membrane Synthesis

  • Ahmed Toky Yasir,
  • Abdelbaki Benamor,
  • Alaa H. Hawari

摘要

Graphene oxide (GO) suffers from excessive coagulation at high concentration which limits its use as membrane nanofiller. This issue can be tackled - among other options - by functionalizing GO with another nano-polymer. In this investigation, third generation of poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) was used to functionalize GO and the GO-PAMAM nanocomposite was incorporated in the polysulfone (Psf) membrane matrix. Synthesized GO- PAMAM was characterized using XRD, while the cross-sectional and surface morphology of the membranes were characterized using FE-SEM and AFM, respectively. The porosity, pore size and contact angle of the membrane were determined using appropriate techniques. The GO-PAMAM incorporated membrane exhibited a pure water permeation flux of 82 LMH/bar, which is 10 times higher than the flux exhibited by the Psf pristine membrane. Fouling tests on the new membrane showed a BSA rejection higher than 99% with an increased flux recovery rate of 10% higher compared to the one obtained using pristine Psf membrane. These preliminary results showed that blending GO-PAMAM nanocomposites in a polysulfone membrane matrix could be a good option to improve the performance of Psf ultrafiltration membranes.