Modification of membranes with polydopamine and silver nanoparticles formed in situ to mitigate biofouling

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method for modifying polymeric membranes to mitigate biofouling. More particularly, dopamine powder is dissolved in a buffer solution, and the membrane surface is exposed to the solution, resulting in the formation of a polydopamine thin film on the membrane. The surface of the polydopamine-modified membrane is then exposed to AgNO3 solutions, resulting in the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the membrane surface. The resulting membrane is expected to be resistant to biofouling for at least two reasons. First, polydopamine is extremely hydrophilic and thus membranes modified with polydopamine are resistant to bacterial attachment, which is the first stage of the biofouling process. Second, silver nanoparticles are antimicrobial and these nanoparticles on the membrane surface serve to inactivate depositing bacteria, and thus, retard the growth and proliferation of bacteria on the membrane.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.