Find in Library
Search millions of books, articles, and more
Indexed Open Access Databases
Antibacterial Properties of Polysulfone Membranes Blended with Arabic Gum
oleh: Souhir Sabri, Ahmad Najjar, Yehia Manawi, Nahla Omer Eltai, Asma Al-Thani, Muataz Ali Atieh, Viktor Kochkodan
Format: | Article |
---|---|
Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2019-02-01 |
Deskripsi
Polysulfone (PS) membranes blended with different loadings of arabic gum (AG) were synthesized using phase inversion method and the antibacterial properties of the synthesized membranes were tested using a number Gram-negative (<i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Klebsiella pneumonia</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>) and Gram-positive (<i>Staphylococcus</i> <i>aureus</i>) bacterial species. It was shown that AG addition to the dope polymer solutions essentially changed porous structure, hydrophilicity and zeta potential of the cast PS/AG membranes. These changes were due to the amphiphilic properties of AG macromolecules that contained negatively charged hydrophilic residues. A pronounced decrease in bacterial attachment was seen in the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images for PS/AG membrane samples compared to both commercial (Microdyn-Nadir) and bare PS (without AG) membranes. AG loading dependent trend was observed where the prevention of bacterial colonization on the membrane surface was strongest at the highest (7 wt. %) AG loading in the casting solution. Possible mechanisms for the prevention of bacterial colonization were discussed. Significantly, the inhibition of bacterial attachment and growth on PS/AG membranes was observed for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial models, rendering these novel membranes with strong biofouling resistance attractive for water treatment applications.