Membrane Science and Technology

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Caffeic acid/iron coordination-mediated construction of a wrinkled antifouling interface on nylon filtration membranes

Authors： GU Jingzeng1, ZHANG Min2, JIN Shuo3, JIAO Xibin3,
WAN Zhiyong3, CAO Xinxin1, HE Wenjie1, QIN Gang1,
YANG Jia1, XIAO Yue1

Units： 1. Jiaozuo High Performance Polymer Composit Engineering Technology Research Center,
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China;
2. School of Mathematics and Information Science, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China;
3. Henan Shuguang HZK Biological Technology Co., Ltd., Luohe 462000, China

KeyWords： nylon filter membrane; polyphenol-metal coordination; nano-wrinkles; anti-fouling; interfacial construction

ClassificationCode：TQ028； TB324

year,volume(issue):pagination： 2026, 46(4):55-67

Abstract：

To address the fouling tendency and limited surface functionality of nylon filtration membranes in medical filtration-related applications, a coordination-driven interfacial construction strategy based on caffeic acid (CA)/Fe3+ chemistry was developed. A stable nano-wrinkled interfacial layer was fabricated in situ on nylon membranes through a three-step process of CA pre-adsorption, APTES bridging, and Fe3+ coordination crosslinking. The results indicated that the CA/APTES layer provided effective coordination sites for Fe3+, while Fe3+ incorporation enhanced surface crosslinking and may have promoted wrinkle formation through constrained shrinkage and stress release. The optimized membrane (PA/CA/APTES/FeCl3-2 C-0.5 h) exhibited a more than 40% increase in pure water flux compared with the pristine membrane, with the water contact angle reduced to 37.7° and the underwater oil contact angle increased to 155.5°. It also showed a high flux recovery ratio (96.99%), a ~70% reduction in bacterial colony coverage, and an ultralow Fe leaching concentration of 0.003 0 μg/mL. In addition, the modified membrane presented favorable interfacial adhesion, mechanical reliability, as well as thermal and hot-humid environmental stability. This strategy achieved the synergistic improvement of wettability, antifouling performance, and application-related stability without significantly compromising the pore integrity of the substrate membrane, providing a feasible approach for the surface functionalization of nylon filtration membranes and the antifouling modification of medical filtration materials.

Funds：

河南省重点研发专项（251111232300）；河南省高等教育教学改革研究与实践重点项目（研究生教育类）（2023SJGLX034Y）；教育部产学合作协同育人项目（231007544042046）；河南理工大学研究生教育教学改革项目（2024YJ01）

AuthorIntro：

古境增（2001-），男，河南焦作人，硕士研究生，研究方向为高分子材料合成与成型加工.*通讯作者,曹新鑫，E-mail：cxxhxf@126.com；贺文杰，E-mail：wenjiehe@hpu.edu.cn;肖跃，E-mail：yuexiao2023@hpu.edu.cn

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