Poly (vinylidene fluoride)/polyaniline/MWCNT nanocomposite ultrafiltration membrane for natural organic matter removal

Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT)/polyaniline (PANI)/ poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration membrane was prepared by the phase inversion technique through an in situ polymerization method of aniline for removal of natural organic matter (NOM) in water. Aniline was polymerized in situ with different dosages of MWCNT ranging from 0.25 wt.% to 2 wt.% in PVDF casting solutions. Permeability, rejection studies, contact angle, porosity measurement, tensile strength, zeta potential and characterization by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The resultant membrane of PANI/ 1.5% MWCNT showed the highest permeability results (1320 LMH/bar) among the membranes we tested, with a 40 folds permeability improvement in comparison to the pristine PVDF ultrafiltration membrane. Furthermore, it showed about 79% rejection of Suwannee River Humic acid (HA). This significant enhancement of the fabricated membrane is attributed to the high hydrophilicity, porosity, larger pore sizes and positive membrane charge resulting from modification with the MWCNT/PANI complex.