Development of polymeric ionic poly(VBC-co-VI) nanoparticle incorporated thin film nanocomposite membranes for dye and salt rejection

Abstract

Water is an important life-sustaining liquid. However, due to the current anthropogenic activities, this resource is diminishing. This work explores a method for the potential reuse of textile wastewater containing salts by utilization of thin film composite (TFC) membranes fabricated by means of interfacial polymerization on a macroporous membrane substrate composed of 15% polysulfone (PSf). A relatively lesser known variety of nanoparticles termed ionic polymeric nanoparticles were integrated into the dense polyamide (PA) layer. The ionic poly(VBC-co-VI) nanoparticles were synthesized in the laboratory via quaternary precipitation polymerization (QPP) of the monomers 1-vinyl imidazole (VI) and 4-vinybenzyl chloride (VBC) by the utilization of 2,2?-azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) (AIBN) as the free radical initiator in the solvent acetonitrile (ACN) in a single step. The synthesized nanoparticles existing in the PA layer improved the water permeability as well as the rejection capacity of the membranes. The fabricated membranes showed a dye rejection of 98% for Reactive Black 5 and >95% for Sunset Yellow FCF having a concentration of 100 ppm. The salt rejection for NaCl, MgCl, Na<inf>2</inf>SO<inf>4</inf> and MgSO<inf>4</inf> at 1000 ppm concentration was found to be 36%, >50%, 85% and 85%, respectively. © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.