Incorporating engineered nanomaterials as components of synthetic membranes can improve their separation performance and endow membranes with additional functions. This work explores two approaches to the design of membranes modified with nanomaterials. In the first chapter, exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP) decorated with gold nanoparticles were embedded in a polysulfone matrix to fabricate phase inversion nanocomposite membranes. The cast membranes were evaluated as flow-through membrane reactors in experiments on the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. The nanocomposite membranes were not as catalytically efficient as those fabricated by modifying anodized alumina membranes polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) containing gold nanoparticles. However, because of the facility of membrane casting by phase inversion and new opportunities enabled by the demonstrated hierarchy-based approach to nanocomposite membrane design, such membrane may hold commercial promise. In the second part of the study, the practicability of PEM-based nanofiltration was evaluated under conditions of precipitative fouling (i.e. scaling) by calcium sulfate. Polyelectrolytes were deposited onto 50 kDa polyethersulfone membranes to create PEM-based nanofiltration membranes. The prepared membranes were compared with the commercial NF270 membrane in terms of flux and rejection performance, as well as the morphology of gypsum crystals formed on the membrane surface. None of the PEM coatings tested inhibited scale formation.
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