Nanofiber Membrane Containing Polyacrylamide-activated Graphene Oxide and Evaluation of the Performance of This Membrane in Removing Soluble Species such as Dyes, Salts and Heavy Metals

One of the solutions proposed with the development of nanotechnology and electrospinning for the development of a new generation of membranes is the use of nanofibers for the preparation of porous membranes. These nanofibers can also be prepared as nanocomposites and the performance of membranes is greatly improved by adding nanoparticles. In this study, nanofiber nanocomposite membranes were made of polyphenylene sulfone by the electrospinning method. Graphene oxide and polyacrylamide-modified graphene oxide were used as additives in nanofiber membranes. To modify graphene oxide, acrylamide monomer was polymerized on the surface of graphene oxide using the live radical polymerization method. According to the studies, graphene oxide modified with polyacrylamide has not been used as an additive in the electrospinning method and its effect on membrane performance has not been studied. Graphene oxide and synthesized membranes were identified by various analyzes and it was found that the addition of modified graphene oxide to the membrane improves properties such as hydrophilicity and pure water flux, so that the contact angle of water in membranes containing 0.5 The percentages of graphene oxide and modified graphene oxide decreased by 9 and 21 degrees, respectively, relative to the membrane without additives. The swelling in these membranes increased by 110 and 175% compared to the blank membrane, respectively. Pure water flux was obtained in these membranes 221 and 187, which was higher in the empty membrane. The efficiency of the membranes was studied by removing salts, dyes, and heavy metals, and the results showed that nanocomposite membranes can remove these species more effectively. To. In the removal of salts and heavy metals, the membrane with 0.1% of graphene oxide had an optimal performance and the removal of optimum membrane dyes with 1% of graphene oxide was modified.