Incorporation of Silver Nitrate (AgNO3) in Polysulfone-Polyethyleneimine (PSF-PEI) Membrane for Enhanced Antibacterial Properties Against Escherichia coli (E. coli)

• Main Author: Ramizah Liyana, Jama-in
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2020
• Subjects: QD Chemistry; T Technology (General); TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32202/5/20201019143444.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32202/7/Ramizah%20Liyana%20Jama-in%20ft.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/32202/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

The Polysulfone-Polyethyleneimine (PSF-PEI) hybrid membranes were successfully synthesized via wet-phase inversion method with the varying concentration of silver nitrate (AgNO3). The objective of this research is to characterize and evaluate the performance of antibacterial membrane under various concentrations of AgNO3, ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 wt.%. The membrane surface morphologies were examined by using SEM and it was observed that the cross-sections of fabricated membranes showed spongy-like structure. The FTIR analysis has also illustrated some slight adjustment in the spectra due to the presence of AgNO3. The performance of the fabricated membranes was evaluated with regards to their porosity, membrane flux, and antibacterial activity in terms of E. coli inhibition. Based on the results, it was observed that the highest water flux of 22.2537 L/m2.h was illustrated by CM C membrane (with 1.0 wt.% of AgNO3), while further increment of AgNO3 amount showed a decrement trend in water flux. The highest porosity of 70.9% was also demonstrated by CM C membrane, which could further support the high water flux findings as exhibited by this membrane. The antibacterial properties were examined using E. coli and the antibacterial activity was observed through the inhibition zone diameter. The best antibacterial properties were exhibited by CM E membrane (with 2.0 wt.% of AgNO3), which was the highest available amount of AgNO3 among all membrane samples. Hence, it was concluded that the incorporation of AgNO3 has contributed to the membrane enhancement in terms of water permeability and antibacterial capability which are highly preferable for various industrial applications.