High flux and hydrogen peroxide-assisted photocatalytic antifouling membranes from coatings of Cu@ZrO2 onto plasma-grafted PAA/PES. (December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Nguyen, Hieu Trung; Bui, Ha Manh; Wang, Ya-Fen; You, Sheng-Jie
• Is Part Of: Materials today communications. Volume 33(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-12
• Subjects: Antifouling membranes -- Cu-loaded ZrO2 composite photocatalyst -- Dip-coated PES membrane -- Hydrogen peroxide-assisted photocatalysis -- PAA plasma-induced grafting; Materials science -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2022.104383
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-4928

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, the highly stable ZrO2 was bandgap-tuned with copper nanoparticles and it was used as the coating on PAA/PES membranes. The photocatalyst was synthesized by chemical reduction of Cu 2+ and precipitation of Cu nanoparticles on the surface of ZrO2 . Photocatalyst characterizations were used such as FTIR, SEM-EDS, XRD, BET, UV-Vis DRS, XPS, ESR demonstrating the successful synthesis of photocatalysts with a bandgap of 3.15 eV, and the photocatalysts generating active free radicals under UV light was confirmed. The decomposition of AR1 dye catalyzed by Cu@ZrO2 photocatalyst under UV light and assisted by H2 O2 occurred almost completely. The photocatalytic activity and antifouling ability of Cu@ZrO2 /PAA/PES membrane were confirmed by the stable degradation of AR1 over five cycles and the FRR of 92 % under UV light irradiation. Furthermore, the coated membranes showed higher pure water flux than pristine PES membranes and the flux was quite stable during the 300 min investigation. Graphical Abstract: ga1 Highlights: Success in bandgap modification of ZrO2 by copper metal nanoparticles to enhance photocatalytic efficiency. Mechanism of photocatalytic degradation of acid red 1 due to the major contributions of h + and OH radicals. Plasma-induced grafting of PAA onto the PES membrane surface helped to improve adhesion between the membrane and the photocatalyst. Coated photocatalytic Cu@ZrO2 /PAA/PES membranes showed improved water fluxes and antifouling ability.