Construction of 2D/0D Graphene Oxide/Copper(I) Oxide-Incorporated Titanium Dioxide Mixed-Dimensional Membranes with Ultrafast Water Transport and Enhanced Antifouling Properties

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes are emerging for water treatment. Meanwhile, challenges remain due to membrane fouling and their instability in aqueous solutions. Herein, a novel GO-based mixed-dimensional membrane with superior antifouling and nonswelling properties was prepared by assembling two-dimensional (2D) GO nanosheets and zero-dimensional (0D) copper(I) oxide-incorporated titanium dioxide photocatalyst (CT). The decoration of CT in GO nanosheets tuned the microstructure and surface hydrophilicity while creating more transport channels in CT/GO membranes. This resulted in a high water permeance of 171.5 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and improved selectivity to various dye molecules (96.2-98.6%). Due to the significantly enhanced antibacterial properties of the CT nanoparticles, the growth of bacteria on the surface of the CT/GO membrane was suppressed (threefold less than that on the GO membrane). Moreover, the embedding of photocatalysts also allowed CT/GO membranes to exhibit ∼9-fold improvement in antibacterial activity and organic dye degradation performance under visible-light irradiation. This study offers a powerful solution to enhance the nanofiltration performance and antibacterial properties of GO membranes toward practical applications.