Exploring the characteristics,performance, and modification of Matrimid for development of thin‐film composite and thin‐film nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes

Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology is widely employed to address the demands for freshwater. In this study, fabrication and performance evaluation of customized RO membranes comprised of Matrimid and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is carried out. While exploring adoption of slip coating procedure, the effects of various modification techniques including incorporation of TiO₂ nanoparticles and polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the skin layer as well as cross‐linking were investigated. The individual and combined effects of parameters on membrane morphology, surface characteristics and performance were also examined. Despite the distinctive characteristics of involved materials, delamination‐free composite membranes were successfully formed with an intimate contact at the interface of two layers. The results also indicated that increasing concentration of Matrimid in dope solution led to increase in membrane thickness and consequently decline in water flux. In the best case, membrane prepared using 1 wt.% Matrimid in dope exhibited water flux of 0.98 LMH and NaCl rejection of 95.7%. Also, incorporation of 3 wt.% TiO₂ nanoparticles offered membranes with improved water flux of 1.37 LMH and salt rejection of 95.8%. On the other hand, water flux and salt rejection in membranes containing 5 wt.% PEG were 1.18 LMH and 96.2%, respectively. The co‐presence of both nanoparticles and PEG provided more insights about the contributing factors in tuned membranes. Modification of skin layer by cross‐linking significantly improved salt rejection at the expense of water flux. The results are scientifically interpreted and compared to the values reported in literature.     

聚合物/TiO2杂化纳米纤维微孔膜的制备及其在染料敏化太阳能电池中的应用

利用静电纺丝技术,制备了不同的聚合物/TiO2杂化纳米纤维微孔膜,吸附液体电解质后形成聚合物/TiO2杂化纳米纤维微孔膜准固态电解质,应用于制备准固态染料敏化太阳能电池(DSSCs).测试了电纺聚合物纳米纤维微孔膜电解质的吸液率、孔隙率、离子电导率等参数,研究了纳米纤维微孔膜准固态电解质DSSCs的光伏性能.结果显示,TiO2的掺入可提高聚合物/TiO2杂化纳米纤维微孔膜对液态电解质的浸润扩散性能,从而提高纳米纤维微孔膜对液态电解质的吸附能力.组装的DSSCs的光电转换效率可达液态电解质的90%以上,并具有较好的长期工作稳定性.     

种子乳胶粒表面修饰法制备核壳结构PSt/TiO_2复合微球

首先采用无皂乳液聚合法合成了表面带负电荷、粒径为360 nm的单分散聚苯乙烯(PSt)乳液,并利用聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)在25℃下对PSt乳胶粒表面进行修饰,得到了表面带有正电荷的PSt种子乳液;然后以乙醇和水的混合物为反应介质,采用种子乳液加入法,使钛酸正丁酯(TBT)在修饰后的乳胶粒表面进行水解与缩合,制备出了核壳结构PSt/TiO2复合微球,利用电镜对复合微球的结构形态进行了表征.结果表明,PSt乳液改性时体系的zeta电位随着PEI用量的增加而升高,当PEI用量为PSt聚合物重量的15%时,体系的zeta电位从原来的-40.3 mV升高到了38.3 mV,达到对PSt乳胶粒表面改性的最佳值;在制备PSt/TiO2复合微球时,TiO2包覆量随着反应时间的延长而增加,反应7 h时达到90.2%的最大值;随介质中水含量的增加,吸附到复合微球表面上的TiO2纳米颗粒逐渐减少,复合微球表面逐渐变得光滑,当EtOH/H2O质量比为100/6.0时,得到结构均一、壳层厚度为29 nm的核壳结构PSt/TiO2复合微球.     

Effect of filler incorporation route on the properties of polysulfone–silver nanocomposite membranes of different porosities

Flat sheet porous polysulfone–silver nanocomposite membranes were synthesized by the wet phase inversion process. The effects of casting mixture composition and nanoparticle incorporation route on the morphological and separation properties of prepared membranes were studied by comparing nanocomposites of different preparations with silver-free controls. Silver nanoparticles were either synthesized ex situ and then added to the casting solution as an organosol or produced in the casting solution via in situ reduction of ionic silver by the polymer solvent. Nanocomposite membranes of three types differing in skin porosity and macrovoid structure were prepared. The structure and properties of nanocomposites were interpreted in terms of the coupling between the processes of nanoparticle formation and gelling of the polymer-rich phase during phase inversion. Larger nanoparticles preferentially located in the skin layer were observed in composites prepared via the ex situ method while in situ reduction of silver led to formation of smaller nanoparticles homogeneously distributed along the membrane cross-section. In some cases, incorporation of nanoscale silver formed ex situ resulted in macrovoid widening and an order of magnitude decrease in hydraulic resistance accompanied by only a moderate decrease in rejection. The accessibility of the silver nanoparticles embedded in the membrane was quantitatively assessed by the degree of the growth inhibition of a membrane biofilm due to the ionic silver released by the nanocomposites and was found to depend on the method of silver incorporation.     

Extraordinarily water permeable sol-gel formed nanocomposite nanofibrous membranes

Electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs) are considered as a state of the art in water filtration technology mainly owing to their high interconnected porosity and tunable pore size assumed to offer a very high permeability also selectivity. However, the extremely high surface area makes the ENMs prone to mechanical breakdown and lack of wettability lowering the filtration efficiency. Hence, any attempt to enhance both the mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of the ENMs is highly recommended. In the current study, the structural and transport properties of polyethersulfone (PES) ENMs were modified through incorporation of titania (TiO(2)) nanoparticles via a sol-gel approach. Presence of titania precursor increased the conductivity of the electrospun solution thereby optimized the structural features of the electrospun mat in terms of formation of very thin beadless nanofibers, a higher porosity and smaller pore size. Moreover, a significant rise in mechanical properties, thermal stability and switching from a highly hydrophobic membrane to a superhydrophilic one occur simultaneously. The combination of a more optimum porosity, very high mechanical properties and hydrophilicity leads to a significantly higher water permeability in the TiO(2)/PES ENMs encouraging us to propose it as a water filtration membrane with longer life span and lower energy consumption.     

Alteration of the morphology of polyvinylidene fluoride membrane by incorporating MOF-199 nanomaterials for improving water permeation with antifouling and antibacterial property

MOF-199@PVDF composite membranes are prepared by blending with different amounts of ultrasonic synthesized MOF-199 nanomaterials for improving the pure water flux (PWF) and achieving better antifouling and antibacterial performance. The membrane morphology, elemental composition, and surface properties are analyzed by various means of characterizations, including scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. The performance of the modified membranes is also determined from the perspective of the PWF, bovine serum albumin rejection, as well as antifouling and antibacterial properties. Due to the variation in the viscosity of dope solution, the composite membranes possess remarkably different morphology, and the M5 membrane, which exhibited a sponge-like structure, the largest surface pore size, and the highest porosity, shows the highest PWF, reaching up to 185.05 L/m²h. Moreover, with the incorporation of MOF-199 nanocrystals, the antifouling property, together with the antibacterial property, toward both gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive bacteria, based on M5 and M7 membranes, increases dramatically compared with the pristine polyvinylidene fluoride membrane. In addition, the long-term permeation performance and copper leakage of the membrane are investigated. As a result, the composite membrane, M5, shows great potential in real water treatment.     

Effects of membrane degradation on the removal of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) by NF/RO filtration processes

The impacts of membrane degradation due to chlorine attack on the rejection of pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes were investigated in this study. Membrane degradation was simulated by soaking the membranes in a sodium hypochlorite solution of various concentrations over 18 h. Changes in membrane surface properties were characterised by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy analysis, and streaming potential measurement. The impacts of hypochlorite exposure to the membrane separation processes were ascertained by comparing the rejection of PhACs by virgin and chlorine-exposed membranes. Overall, the reverse osmosis BW30 membrane and the tight nanofiltration NF90 membrane were much more resilient to chlorine exposure than the larger pore size TFC-SR2 and NF270 nanofiltration membranes. In fact, rejection of all three PhACs selected in this study by the BW30 remained largely unchanged after hypochlorite exposure and further characterisation did not reveal any evidence of compromised separation capability. In contrast, the effects of chlorine exposure to the two loose nanofiltration membranes were quite profound. While chlorine exposure generally resulted in reduced rejection of PhACs, a small increase in rejection was observed when a more dilute hypochlorite solution was used. Changes in the membrane surface morphology as well as observed rejection of inorganic salts and PhACs were found to be consistent with mechanisms of chlorine oxidation of polyamide membranes reported in the literature. Chlorine oxidation consistently resulted in a more negative zeta potential of all four membranes investigated in this study. Conformational alterations of the membrane polyamide active skin layer were also evident as reflected by changes in surface roughness before and after chlorine exposure. Such alterations can either loosen or tighten the effective membrane pore size, leading to either a decrease or an increase in rejection. Both of these phenomena were observed in this study, although the decrease in the rejection of PhACs was overwhelming from exposure to highly concentrated hypochlorite solution.     

Preparation and properties of polysulfone/TiO2 composite ultrafiltration membranes

The influence of inorganic filler TiO₂ nanoparticles on the morphology and properties of polysulfone (PS) ultrafiltration membranes was investigated. PS/TiO₂ composite membranes were prepared by a phase‐inversion method. TiO₂ nanoparticles modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate were uniformly dispersed in an 18 wt % PS casting solution. The addition of TiO₂ resulted in an increase in the pore density and porosity of the membrane skin layer. The pore size distribution changed from the log‐normal distribution to the bimodal distribution because of the presence of TiO₂ nanoparticles, and some large pores were observed when the concentration of the filler was over 3 wt %. The skin layer was gradually thickened; meanwhile, the morphology sublayer changed from macrovoids to spongelike pores, in comparison with PS membranes without the filler. The addition of TiO₂ also induced increases in the hydrophilicity, mechanical strength, and thermal stability. The ultrafiltration experiments showed when the concentration of TiO₂ was less than 2 wt %, the permeability and rejection of the membrane was enhanced and then decreased drastically with a higher filler concentration (>3%). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 879–887, 2006     

TiO_2/PVDF复合中空纤维膜的制备和表征

采用相转化法制备了二氧化钛 (TiO2 ) 聚偏氟乙烯 (PVDF)复合中空纤维膜 .应用牛血清白蛋白截留实验、扫描电子显微镜、热重分析、X射线衍射分别对复合膜的分离性能、微观结构、热稳定性和晶相组成进行了分析 .结果表明复合膜的性能与纯PVDF膜的相比有显著的改善 ,其中对牛血清白蛋白的截留率从 3 2 7%提高到 86 6 7% ,单根纤维的断裂应力从 3 35MPa提高到 4 70MPa ,提高了 4 0 3% .氮气吸附实验测定的孔径分布进一步表明复合膜的孔径分布变窄 ,孔径变小 .     

Langmuir--Schaefer films of Nafion with incorporated TiO(2) nanoparticles

An easy method of incorporating TiO(2) nanoparticles into Nafion perfluorinated ionomer is proposed. Ultrathin films of Nafion were prepared by employing the Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) technique. The pressure-area isotherm study of a Langmuir monolayer of Nafion at the air-water interface on different concentrations of NaCl as the subphase allowed us to find the best experimental conditions for the deposition of stable Langmuir-Schaefer films. Incorporation of TiO(2) nanoparticles was performed by dipping Nafion LS films in a solution of TiO(2) nanoparticles. The uniformity of the TiO(2) incorporation was detected by UV-visible spectroscopy. The morphology of the Nafion, Nafion/TiO(2) nanoparticles thin films, and the changes due to the annealing procedure were investigated by atomic force microscopy. Interestingly, the AFM investigation showed that Nafion and Nafion/TiO(2) LS films have thermal stability up to 600 degrees C.     

用流动电位法表征纳滤膜的结构及性能

利用测量流动电位的方法考察了纳滤膜的表面电学性能对纳滤膜的截留性能的影响.首先,采用不同功能层材料制备了复合纳滤(NF)膜,考察功能层的交联时间、单体结构等对表面电性能的影响,研究纳滤膜对不同无机盐的选择截留性能与表面电性能的关系.通过流动电位法测定纳滤膜的表面电学参数,如流动电位(ΔE)、zeta电位(ζ)和表面电荷密度(σd).实验表明,这些电学参数的变化与功能层交联时间和纳滤膜截留率的变化一致,在交联时间为45 s时,3种电学参数的绝对值均最大,而纳滤膜对无机盐的截留率也最大.复合纳滤膜zeta电位的绝对值(|ζ|)按照Na2SO4>MgSO4>MgCl2变化,同截留率的变化相同.带侧基单体交联后得到的纳滤膜的表面电性能参数的绝对值小于不带侧基单体的.因此,流动电位法可用于研究复合纳滤膜的截留机理和功能层结构.     

Free volume in C60 modified PPO polymer membranes by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

PPO (poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide)) is a well-known membrane material showing good gas separation properties. The incorporation of nanoparticles can enhance or deteriorate the performance of composite membranes, sometimes depending only on the way of the composite preparation. We have modified the PPO polymer with C60 fullerenes up to a content of 2 wt %. Previous investigations showed a strong dependence of permeability on whether the C60 is simply dispersed in the polymer or chemically bonded to the polymer chains. Free volume effects were suggested as an explanation but not experimentally confirmed. Here, we present free volume studies by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. An additional long positron lifetime shows the increased free volume of composite samples, while the high electron affinity of C60 helps to indicate the homogeneity of the samples. Combining the presented results with permeability measurements refines the understanding of this promising membrane material.     

Rational design of 3D dendritic TiO2 nanostructures with favorable architectures

Controlling the morphology and size of titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanostructures is crucial to obtain superior photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and electrochemical properties. However, the synthetic techniques for preparing such structures, especially those with complex configurations, still remain a challenge because of the rapid hydrolysis of Ti-containing polymer precursors in aqueous solution. Herein, we report a completely novel approach-three-dimensional (3D) TiO(2) nanostructures with favorable dendritic architectures-through a simple hydrothermal synthesis. The size of the 3D TiO(2) dendrites and the morphology of the constituent nano-units, in the form of nanorods, nanoribbons, and nanowires, are controlled by adjusting the precursor hydrolysis rate and the surfactant aggregation. These novel configurations of TiO(2) nanostructures possess higher surface area and superior electrochemical properties compared to nanoparticles with smooth surfaces. Our findings provide an effective solution for the synthesis of complex TiO(2) nano-architectures, which can pave the way to further improve the energy storage and energy conversion efficiency of TiO(2)-based devices.     

Fabrication of PES-based nanofiltration membrane modified by composite PAA-co-PMMA-g-ZnA nanoparticles

In the current research, nanocomposite polyethersulfone-based nanofiltration membranes were prepared by composite PAA-co-PMMA-g-ZnA nanoparticles. NF membranes were fabricated by phase inversion through casting solution technique. The effect of composite PAA-co-PMMA-g-ZnA nanoparticles concentration into the casting solution on physicochemical characteristics of membrane was studied. Scanning optical microscopy images showed uniform particle distribution for the membranes. Scanning electron microscopy images also demonstrated that membrane porosity was enhanced by increase in nanoparticles content ratio. The membrane surface 3D images showed smooth surface for the membranes filled with 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 wt% nanoparticles. The contact angle results exhibited that membrane hydrophilicity was improved significantly by using of NPs in membrane matrix. The contact angle was decreased from 65.38° for PES membrane to 48.33° for membrane filled with 0.5 wt% nanoparticles. The water permeability was reduced initially by addition of 0.05 wt% nanoparticles into the casting solution and then increased by more nanoparticles loading rate (0.1 wt%). The water permeability was decreased again by more increase in nanoparticles loading range from 0.5 to 1 wt%. The salt rejection was improved strongly from 68.4 % for PES to 88.58 % for membrane filled with 0.5 wt% nanoparticles. The membranes mechanical strength was increased sharply from 2835.5 to 3337.3 kPa with addition of nanoparticles into the casting solution.     

二氧化钛纳米粒子-氧化石墨烯/聚酰亚胺混合基质膜的原位聚合及气体渗透性能

以钛酸四丁酯为前驱体,采用浸渍-沉淀法制备二氧化钛纳米粒子-氧化石墨烯(TiO_2-GO)复合物,再将TiO_2-GO复合物与4,4'-(六氟异亚丙基)邻苯二甲酸酐和4,4'-二氨基二苯醚通过原位聚合构建TiO_2-GO/TiO_2-GO/PI(聚酰亚胺)混合基质膜,用于CO_2的渗透脱除.采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、拉曼光谱(Raman)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、热失重(TG)和Zeta电位等表征了TiO_2-GO复合物和TiO_2-GO/PI混合基质膜的形貌与结构;探讨了TiO_2掺杂量对TiO_2-GO复合物及TiO_2-GO/PI混合基质膜的结构和气体渗透性能的影响.结果表明,TiO_2-GO复合物中TiO_2纳米粒子较均匀地沉积在GO片层上,TiO_2纳米粒子在形成的同时破坏了GO的结构,使其无序度增加.TiO_2的掺杂对TiO_2-GO/PI混合基质膜的形貌与结构影响较小,但提升了TiO_2-GO/PI混合基质膜的CO_2和N2渗透性能.但过量的掺杂使TiO_2粒子在GO片层上团聚,从而导致TiO_2-GO复合物在混合基质膜中的分散性变差,CO_2渗透性及CO_2/N2渗透选择性降低.当TiO_2掺杂质量分数为30%时,TiO_2-GO/PI混合基质膜的CO_2渗透性为360 Barrer[1 Barrer=10~(-10)cm~3(STP)·cm/(cm~2·s·cm Hg)=7.5×10~(-14)cm~3(STP)·cm/(cm~2·s·Pa)],CO_2/N_2的渗透选择性可达31.     

Sensitive determination of dopamine in the presence of uric acid and ascorbic acid using TiO2 nanotubes modified with Pd, Pt and Au nanoparticles

A simple modified TiO(2) nanotubes electrode was fabricated by electrodeposition of Pd, Pt and Au nanoparticles. The TiO(2) nanotubes electrode was prepared using the anodizing method, followed by modifying Pd nanoparticles onto the tubes surface, offering a uniform conductive surface for electrodeposition of Pt and Au. The performance of the modified electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and differential pulse voltammetry methods. The Au/Pt/Pd/TiO(2) NTs modified electrode represented a high sensitivity towards individual detection of dopamine as well as simultaneous detection of dopamine and uric acid using 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.00) as the base solution. In both case, electro-oxidation peak currents of dopamine were linearly related to accumulated concentration over a wide concentration range of 5.0 × 10(-8) to 3.0 × 10(-5) M. However in the same range of dopamine concentration, the sensitivity had a significant loss at Pt/Pd/TiO(2) NTs electrode, suggesting the necessity for Au nanoparticles in modified electrode. The limit of the detection was determined as 3 × 10(-8) M for dopamine at signal-to-noise ratio equal to 3. Furthermore, the Au/Pt/Pd/TiO(2) NTs modified electrode was able to distinguish the oxidation response of dopamine, uric acid and ascorbic acid in mixture solution of different acidity. It was shown that the modified electrode possessed a very good reproducibility and long-term stability. The method was also successfully applied for determination of DA in human urine samples with satisfactory results.     

反相乳液中Ag/TiO2纳米杂化粒子的制备及其SERS效应

在反相乳液的微环境中用一步反应法制备了Ag/TiO2纳米杂化粒子,并用TEM,SPS,XPS及XRD等方法进行了表征.结果表明,Ag粒子(5-15nm)已镶嵌在TiO2(30-50nm)结构中,并且具有SERS活性.     

Preparation of NOx modified PMMA-EGDM composite membrane for the recovery of chromium (VI)

A non-interpenetrating cross-linked poly (methyl methacrylate-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) copolymer ultrafiltration membrane on a microporous ceramic support has been prepared from the monomers in two stages. The polymer membranes thus obtained have been nitrated using NO_x (a mixture of NO and NO₂) by the gas phase reaction at 80 °C. Separation experiments on the chromium (VI) salt solution have been carried out using unmodified (giving 68% rejection per pass) and nitrated membranes (giving as much as 67% rejection per pass). For nitrated membranes, the water flux and the solute flux increased with time of nitration about hundred folds because of the increase in the hydrophilicity as well as the pore size.     

Structure-property relationships for novel wholly aromatic polyamide-hydrazides containing various proportions of para-phenylene and meta-phenylene units III. Preparation and properties of semi-permeable membranes for water desalination by reverse osmosis separation performance

Flat sheet asymmetric reverse osmosis membranes were successfully prepared from N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solutions of a series of novel wholly aromatic polyamide-hydrazides that contained different amounts of para- and meta-phenylene rings. These polyamide-hydrazides were synthesized by a low temperature solution polycondensation reactions of either 4-amino-3-hydroxybenzhydrazide or 3-amino-4-hydroxybenzhydrazide with an equimolar amount of either terephthaloyl dichloride [TCl], isophthaloyl dichloride [ICl] or mixtures of various molar ratios of TCl and ICl in anhydrous DMAc as a solvent. All the polymers have the same structural formula except of the way of linking phenylene units inside the polymer chains. The content of para- to meta-phenylene moieties was varied within these polymers so that the changes in the latter were 10 mol% from polymer to polymer, starting from an overall content of 0-100 mol%. All the membranes were characterized for their salt rejection (%) and water permeability (cm³ cm⁻² day⁻¹) of 0.5 N aqueous sodium chloride feed solution at 3924 kPa operating pressure. The effects of polymers structural variations together with several processing parameters to achieve the best combination of high selectivity and permeability were studied. Effects of various processing parameters of the membranes on their transport properties were investigated by varying the temperature and period of the solvent evaporation of the cast membranes, coagulation temperature of the thermally treated membranes, annealing of the coagulated membranes, casting solution composition, membrane thickness and the operating pressure. During the thermal treatment step, the asymmetric structure of the membranes with a thin dense skin surface layer supported on a more porous layer was established. The former layer seems to be responsible for the separation performance. The results obtained showed that membrane performance was very much influenced by all of the examined processing variables and that membranes with considerably different properties could be obtained from the same polymer sample by using different processing parameters. Thus, the use of higher temperatures and longer exposure times in the protomembrane forming thermal treatment step would result in a membrane of lower solvent content and with a thicker skin layer and consequently led to higher salt rejection at lower water permeability. Most significantly, the membrane properties clearly depended on the polymer structure. Under identical processing condition, substitution para-phenylene rings for meta-phenylene ones within the polymer series resulted in an increase in salt rejection capability of the membranes. This may be attributed to an increase in their chain symmetry associated with increased molecular packing and rigidity through enhanced intermolecular hydrogen bonding. This produces a barrier with much smaller pores that would efficiently prevent the solute particles from penetration. Coagulation temperature controls the structure (porosity) of the membrane particularly its supported layer and consequently its water permeability. Moreover, annealing of the prepared membranes in deionized water at 100 °C was found essential for useful properties in the single-stage separation applications, which required optimum membrane selectivity. Upon annealing, the membrane shrinks resulting in reducing its pore size particularly in the skin layer and consequently improving the salt rejection. Addition of lithium chloride to the casting solution produced a membrane with increased porosity and improved water permeability. Salt rejection capability of the membranes is clearly affected by the applied pressure, reaching its maximum at nearly 4000 kPa. Furthermore, the water permeability is inversely proportional to the membrane thickness, while the salt rejection is not substantially influenced.     

Preparation and characterization of TiO2/Pebax/(PSf‐PES) thin film nanocomposite membrane for humic acid removal from water

New thin film composite (TFC) membrane was prepared via coating of Pebax on PSf‐PES blend membrane as support, and its application in wastewater treatment was investigated. To modify this membrane, hydrophilic TiO₂ nanoparticles were coated on its surface at different loadings via dip coating technique. The as‐prepared membrane was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM, and contact angle analysis. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis and surface SEM images indicated that TiO₂ was successfully coated on the membrane surface. In addition, the results stated that the hydrophilicity and roughness of membrane surface increased by addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles. Performance of TFC and modified TFC membranes was evaluated through humic acid removal from aqueous solution. Maximum permeate flux and humic acid rejection were obtained at 0.03 and 0.01 wt% TiO₂ loadings, respectively. Rejection was enhanced from 96.38% to 98.92% by the increase of feed concentration from 10 to 30 ppm. Additionally, membrane antifouling parameters at different pressures and feed concentration were determined. The results indicated that surface modification of membranes could be an effective method for improvement of membrane antifouling property.