Chitosan-Decorated Graphene Oxide Fillers to Meliorate Water Decolorization and Antifouling Properties of a Novel Peba1657/Pes Tfc Membrane

Novel chitosan-tailored graphene oxide (CSGO)-embedded poly(ether-b-amide) (PEBA) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes have been fabricated and coated on ultraporous polyethersulfone. To synthesize the nature-friendly CSGOs, covalent functionalization of GO have been done by carbohydrate polymer, chitosan. The green nanofillers were then incorporated in the PEBA selective layer at different loadings up to 2 wt.%. The structural studies were performed using FTIR, XRD, SEM, AFM and contact angle analyses, which confirmed the appropriate filler dispersion and enhanced hydrophilicity of the TFN membranes. Moreover, using nanofiltration (NF) for malachite green (MG) dye rejection, the effects of CSGO loadings, transmembrane pressure, feed concentration and duration on the membranes separation performance were also assessed. The membrane loaded with 0.1 wt.% of CSGO showed the highest permeate flux, 3.2 times higher than that of TFC membrane. The surface-decorated CSGO-filled TFN membranes also represented improved antifouling performance, because the CSGO nanofillers had positive charge due to the protonation of chitosan N-H groups in acidic medium of this work.