(554b) A Designed Experimental Investigation of Polyetherimide/Graphene/Mxene Hybrid Ultrafiltration Membranes for Bovine Serum Albumin Removal from Water

Polyetherimide (PEI) is a commonly used polymer platform for ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis membranes. In this work, we fabricated and evaluated the separation performances of PEI mixed-matrix membranes containing various amounts of graphene (Gr) and MXene nanoparticles and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the pore-forming agent. All membranes were fabricated using the nonsolvent-induced phase separation approach. Specifically, the nanoparticles were first sonicated in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone to achieve homogeneous dispersions. Next, PVP and PEI were added to the dispersions under continuous stirring. Finally, films were cast and subsequently immersed in a coagulation bath. Using a central composite design (CCD), the effects of the Gr/MXene ratio and PVP concentration on the pore sizes, permeabilities, separation performances, and fouling properties of the membranes were systematically investigated. The amounts of both nanoparticles ranged from 0-1 wt.% and the amount of PVP ranged from 0-8 wt.% of the polymer. Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) was used as the protein of interest for water purification. We are currently measuring the pure water flux of the fabricated membranes, as well as BSA rejection and fouling properties. In addition, we are performing mechanical and morphological investigations of the fabricated. Based on our preliminary results, the membranes demonstrate independent control of permeance and selectivity to target a select separation.