Layered copper hydroxide acetate–modified PVC membranes for advanced organic contaminant removal and antifouling performance

Layered copper hydroxide acetate (LCuH-OAc) was synthesized and incorporated into poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane matrix via non-solvent-induced phase separation to fabricate LCuH-OAc-modified PVC membranes for enhanced organic contaminant removal and antifouling properties. Structural characterization verified the formation of a crystalline layered structure with coordinated hydroxyl and acetate functionalities. Nitrogen adsorption–desorption analysis revealed a mesoporous architecture with a specific surface area of 12.05 m²/g, pore volume of 0.086 cm³/g, and an average pore diameter of 28.66 nm for LCuH-OAc crystals. LCuH-OAc incorporation altered membrane morphology, with increased porosity to 71.3% and mean pore radius to 7.07 nm at 1.0 wt% loading, which resulted in enhanced permeability. The maximum permeation fluxes of 393.1, 339.2, 377.6, and 370.7 L‧m⁻²‧h⁻¹ were obtained for amoxicillin, azithromycin, Reactive Black 5, and Lanasol Red 6G, respectively. Compared to the bare PVC membrane, LCuH-OAc-modified membranes exhibited up to 16% higher rejection for both dyes and pharmaceuticals, e.g., 81.2% for Lanasol Red 6G and 86.0% for Reactive Black 5. Antifouling performance considerably improved, with up to 25% higher flux recovery and lower fouling resistances. Also, antibacterial evaluations indicated relatively good inhibition efficiencies of 66.6% for E. coli and 54.2% for S. aureus . Synergistic effects of increased hydrophilicity, size exclusion, and electrostatic and interfacial interactions induced by LCuH-OAc are responsible for the improvement of filtration performance. Overall, LCuH-OAc shows strong potential as a functional membrane modifier for engineering high-flux, antifouling membrane filtration systems in wastewater treatment.