(584e) Effect of Nano and Micropatterning on Oil Fouling during Nanofiltration

The use of surface patterns is a topic of interest in the membrane community after the success had in biomedical applications with the Sharklet® pattern that mimics the form and function of shark skin. These surface patterns disrupt the fluid flow at the membrane surface, creating localized turbulence or eddies, that help reduce fouling and make the membranes easier to clean. Fouling is a buildup of particles on the membrane surface, or a blockage of the membrane pores. This leads to a decrease in rejection and water transport through the membrane. By adding surface patterns, it is hypothesized that oil fouling will be decreased on the membrane surface. Therefore, if methods can be developed to reduce or prevent fouling, membranes would be more economical to use. In this study, line-and-groove patterns of three different sizes are applied to a polysulfone (PSf) membrane and interfacial polymerization between piperazine and trimesoyl chloride is performed on top of the imprinted membrane. The patterns used are a 300 nm, 10-micron, and 50-micron in feature sized. These sizes are being used to probe whether patterns smaller than, equal to, or larger than the oil droplet size are better at preventing oil fouling on the membrane surface. These fabricated membranes will be compared to a commercial nanofiltration membrane for fouling and cleaning performance.