Antimicrobial polysulfone blended ultrafiltration membranes prepared with Ag/Cu2O hybrid nanowires

•Ag–Cu2O hybrid nanowire was successfully synthesized by graft-immobilization method.•Ag NPs were evenly and firmly loaded on Cu2O NWs by the cross-linking of L-dopa.•Ag–Cu2O/PSF blended UF membrane was prepared with long-term antimicrobial activity.•Blended membrane exhibited superior permeability and little Ag+ leakage.

In this study, Ag–Cu2O nanowires (NWs) blended polysulfone (PSF) membranes with outstanding antimicrobial performance were successfully prepared via phase inversion. L-dopa was grafted onto the surface of Cu2O nanowires by in situ polymerization to create a zwitterionic surface, which gave suitable positions to fix the silver nanoparticles. SEM, XRD, FTIR and HRTEM results showed that Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were evenly and firmly loaded on the surface of Cu2O nanowires. The antibacterial tests revealed that the blended membranes possessed an enhanced antibacterial effect against both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The blended membranes held a remarkable antibacterial duration with very little release of Ag+. Compared to pure PSF membrane, the blended membranes exhibited superior permeation property, especially when the Ag–Cu2O NWs content was 0.5 wt%. The method described in this paper provides a new and effective route to the rational design of antimicrobial membranes with good bactericidal activity and stability.

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