Biofouling is a major obstacle for the efficient and reliable operation of membrane-based desalination processes. Innovations in membrane materials and fabrication processes are therefore needed to develop antibiofouling strategies. In this study, we utilize the alignability of an emerging two-dimensional nanomaterial, graphene oxide (GO), to fabricate a desalination membrane with enhanced bacterial resistance. GO nanosheets are dispersed in a polymer solution to form a homogeneous mixture, which undergoes slow solvent evaporation in a magnetic field to create a thin nanocomposite membrane with vertically aligned GO nanosheets. The structural characteristics of the fabricated membranes confirm the enhanced exposure of nanosheet edges on the surface through the vertical alignment of GO. Notably, the addition and alignment of GO do not compromise membrane water permeability and water–salt selectivity. When contacted with bacterial cells, membranes with vertically aligned GO nanosheets exhibit enhanced antimicrobial activity compared with that of the non-aligned GO membrane. We attribute the enhanced antimicrobial activity to the maximization of edge-mediated interactions through vertical alignment of GO nanosheets. Our results suggest the potential of this membrane to delay the onset of biofouling in desalination and the promise of the developed platform for the design of antimicrobial surfaces for a variety of environmental applications.

中文翻译：

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通过氧化石墨烯的垂直排列制备具有增强的微生物抵抗力的脱盐膜

生物污垢是基于膜的脱盐过程的有效和可靠运行的主要障碍。因此，需要开发膜材料和制造工艺方面的创新来开发抗生物污垢策略。在这项研究中，我们利用新兴的二维纳米材料氧化石墨烯（GO）的可对准性来制造具有增强细菌抵抗力的脱盐膜。GO纳米片分散在聚合物溶液中以形成均匀的混合物，该混合物在磁场中经历缓慢的溶剂蒸发，以形成具有垂直排列的GO纳米片的纳米复合薄膜。所制造的膜的结构特征证实了通过GO的垂直排列增强了纳米片边缘在表面上的暴露。尤其，GO的添加和排列不会影响膜的水渗透性和水盐选择性。当与细菌细胞接触时，具有垂直排列的GO纳米片的膜与未排列的GO膜相比，具有增强的抗菌活性。我们将增强的抗菌活性归因于通过GO纳米片的垂直排列使边缘介导的相互作用最大化。我们的结果表明，这种膜有可能延缓淡化过程中生物污损的发生，并有望为各种环境应用设计开发抗菌表面的平台。与未取向的GO膜相比，具有垂直取向的GO纳米片的膜具有增强的抗菌活性。我们将增强的抗菌活性归因于通过GO纳米片的垂直排列使边缘介导的相互作用最大化。我们的结果表明，这种膜有可能延缓淡化过程中生物污损的发生，并有望为各种环境应用设计开发抗菌表面的平台。与未取向的GO膜相比，具有垂直取向的GO纳米片的膜具有增强的抗菌活性。我们将增强的抗菌活性归因于通过GO纳米片的垂直排列使边缘介导的相互作用最大化。我们的结果表明，这种膜有可能延缓淡化过程中生物污损的发生，并有望为各种环境应用设计开发抗菌表面的平台。