Nanofiltration applications of tough MWNT buckypaper membranes containing biopolymers

Rashid, MHO; Triani, G; Scales, N; in het Panhuis, M; Nghiem, LD; Ralph, SF

Nanofiltration applications of tough MWNT buckypaper membranes containing biopolymers

Rashid, MHO Triani, G Scales, N in het Panhuis, M Nghiem, LD

Ralph, SF

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Journal of Membrane Science, 2017, 529 pp. 23 - 34
Issue Date:: 2017-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rashid, MHO	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Triani, G	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Scales, N	en_US
dc.contributor.author	in het Panhuis, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Nghiem, LD https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9039-5792	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Ralph, SF	en_US
dc.date.available	2020-05-25T19:11:37Z
dc.date.issued	2017-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Membrane Science, 2017, 529 pp. 23 - 34	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0376-7388	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/125047
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The ability of biopolymers (bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, chitosan, gellan gum and DNA) to facilitate formation of aqueous dispersions of MWNTs was investigated using a combination of absorption spectrophotometry and optical microscopy. Subsequently, self-supporting carbon nanotube membranes, known as buckypapers (BPs), were prepared by vacuum filtration of the dispersions. Microanalytical data obtained from the BPs confirmed the retention of biopolymers within their structures. Tensile test measurements performed on the BPs showed that incorporation of the biopolymers resulted in significant improvements in mechanical properties, compared to analogous BPs containing MWNTs and the low molecular mass dispersant Triton X-100. For example, MWNT/CHT BPs (CHT=chitosan) exhibited values for tensile strength, ductility, Young's modulus and toughness of 28±2 MPa, 5.3±2.7%, 0.9±0.3 GPa and 1.7±0.3 J g−1, respectively. Each of these values are significantly greater than those obtained for MWNT/Trix BPs, prepared using a low molecular weight dispersant (6±3 MPa, 1.3±0.2%, 0.6±0.3 GPa and 0.10±0.06 J g−1, respectively). This significant improvement in mechanical properties is attributed to the ability of the long biopolymer molecules to act as flexible bridges between the short CNTs. All BPs possessed hydrophilic surfaces, with contact angles ranging from 29±2° to 57±5°. Nitrogen gas porosimetry showed that the BPs have highly porous internal structures, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed their surface morphologies have numerous pore openings. The permeability of the BPs towards water, inorganic salts, and dissolved trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, was investigated through filtration experiments. Of the twelve TrOCs investigated in this study, nine were rejected by more than 95% by BPs composed of MWNTs and chitosan. The latter BPs also demonstrated good rejection of both NaCl (30–55%) and MgSO4(40–70%).	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of Membrane Science	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.memsci.2017.01.040	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Chemical Engineering	en_US
dc.title	Nanofiltration applications of tough MWNT buckypaper membranes containing biopolymers	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	529	en_US
utslib.for	0301 Analytical Chemistry	en_US
utslib.for	0904 Chemical Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	03 Chemical Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CTWW - Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	529	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. The ability of biopolymers (bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, chitosan, gellan gum and DNA) to facilitate formation of aqueous dispersions of MWNTs was investigated using a combination of absorption spectrophotometry and optical microscopy. Subsequently, self-supporting carbon nanotube membranes, known as buckypapers (BPs), were prepared by vacuum filtration of the dispersions. Microanalytical data obtained from the BPs confirmed the retention of biopolymers within their structures. Tensile test measurements performed on the BPs showed that incorporation of the biopolymers resulted in significant improvements in mechanical properties, compared to analogous BPs containing MWNTs and the low molecular mass dispersant Triton X-100. For example, MWNT/CHT BPs (CHT=chitosan) exhibited values for tensile strength, ductility, Young's modulus and toughness of 28±2 MPa, 5.3±2.7%, 0.9±0.3 GPa and 1.7±0.3 J g−1, respectively. Each of these values are significantly greater than those obtained for MWNT/Trix BPs, prepared using a low molecular weight dispersant (6±3 MPa, 1.3±0.2%, 0.6±0.3 GPa and 0.10±0.06 J g−1, respectively). This significant improvement in mechanical properties is attributed to the ability of the long biopolymer molecules to act as flexible bridges between the short CNTs. All BPs possessed hydrophilic surfaces, with contact angles ranging from 29±2° to 57±5°. Nitrogen gas porosimetry showed that the BPs have highly porous internal structures, while scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed their surface morphologies have numerous pore openings. The permeability of the BPs towards water, inorganic salts, and dissolved trace organic contaminants (TrOCs), such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, was investigated through filtration experiments. Of the twelve TrOCs investigated in this study, nine were rejected by more than 95% by BPs composed of MWNTs and chitosan. The latter BPs also demonstrated good rejection of both NaCl (30–55%) and MgSO4(40–70%).

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/125047