Photocatalytic Nanofiltration Membranes with Self‐Cleaning Property for Wastewater Treatment |
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| Authors: | Yan Lv Chao Zhang Ai He Shang‐Jin Yang Guang‐Peng Wu Seth B. Darling Zhi‐Kang Xu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, and Key Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China;2. Nanoscience & Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA;3. Institute for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA |
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| Abstract: | Membrane fouling is one of the most severe problems restricting membrane separation technology for wastewater treatment. This work reports a photocatalytic nanofiltration membrane (NFM) with self‐cleaning property fabricated using a facile biomimetic mineralization process. In this strategy, a polydopamine (PDA)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) intermediate layer is fabricated on an ultrafiltration membrane via a co‐deposition method followed by mineralization of a photocatalytic layer consisting of β‐FeOOH nanorods. The PDA–PEI layer acts both as a nanofiltration selective layer and an intermediate layer for anchoring the β‐FeOOH nanorods via strong coordination complexes between Fe3+ and catechol groups. In visible light, the β‐FeOOH layer exhibits efficient photocatalytic activity for degrading dyes through the photo‐Fenton reaction in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, endowing the NFM concurrently with effective nanofiltration performance and self‐cleaning capability. Moreover, the mineralized NFMs exhibit satisfactory stability under simultaneous filtration and photocatalysis processing, showing great potential in advanced wastewater treatment. |
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| Keywords: | β ‐FeOOH nanofiltration membranes photo‐Fenton polydopamine self‐cleaning |
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