Amphiphilic Thiol Functional Linker Mediated Sustainable Anti-Biofouling Ultrafiltration Nanocomposite Comprising a Silver Nanoparticles and Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Membrane

Abstract

We develop sustainable anti-biofouling ultrafiltration membrane nanocomposites by covalently immobilizing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) onto poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane mediated by a thiol-end functional amphiphilic block copolymer linker. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) measurements reveal that the AgNPs are highly bound and dispersed to the PVDF membrane due to the strong affinity of the AgNPs with the thiol-modified block copolymeric linkers, which have been anchored to the PVDF membrane. The membrane performs well under water permeability and particle rejection measurements, despite the high deposition of AgNPs on the surface of membrane. The Ag-PVDF membrane nanocomposite significantly inhibits the growth of bacteria on the membrane surface, resulting in enhanced anti-biofouling property. Importantly, the AgNPs are not released from the membrane surface due to the robust covalent bond between the AgNPs and the thiolated PVDF membrane. The stability of the membrane nanocomposite ensures a sustainable anti-biofouling activity of the membrane.