Influence of copper oxide nanomaterials in a poly(ether sulfone) membrane for improved humic acid and oil-water separation

In this study, self-synthesized copper(I) oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles were incorporated in poly(ether sulfone) (PES) mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) through the phase-inversion method. A cubic arrangement and crystallite size of 28 nm was identified by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the as-synthesized Cu2O particles. The pristine PES membrane had a higher contact angle value of 88.508, which was significantly reduced up to 50.108 for 1.5 wt % PES/Cu2O MMMs. Moreover, XRD analysis of the Cu2O-incorporated PES membrane exhibited a new diffraction pattern at 36.468. This ensured that the Cu2O nanoparticles were distributed well in the PES matrix. Interestingly, the water permeability progressively improved up to 66.72 x 10(-9) m s(-1) kPa(-1) for 1.5 wt % PES/Cu2O MMMs. Furthermore, the membrane performances were also evaluated with different feed solutions: (1) bovine serum albumin, (2) humic acid, and (3) oil-water. The enhanced rejection and lower flux reduction percentage were observed for hybrid membranes. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.