Surface Modifications for Antifouling Membranes

A study was conducted to investigate surface modifications for antifouling membranes. The study mainly focused on the permanent flux decline. The fouling was caused by the interaction between the membrane surface and the foulants that included inorganic, organic, and biological substances in many different forms. The foulants physically interacted with the membrane surface and chemically degraded the membrane material. Colloidal particles, such as natural organic matter (NOM) were considered as the main reason for membrane fouling, which was controlled by the permeation hindrance and electric double layer repulsion. The study demonstrated that another approach had been developed to mimic the cell membrane. A thin selective layer was also deposited as a coating of thin-film-layer (TFL) on top of the membrane surface by interfacial in situ polymerization reaction to conduct the investigations.