Nanostructured polyethersulfone nanocomposite membranes for dual protein and dye separation: Lower antifouling with lanthanum (III) vanadate nanosheets as a novel nanofiller

A novel polyethersulfone (PES) nanocomposite membrane incorporated with lanthanum vanadate (LaVO₃) nanosheets was fabricated based on phase inversion approach. The morphology and the performance of the fabricated nanocomposite membranes were systematically studied by ATR-FTIR, SEM, AFM, porosity, water contact angle, antifouling and rejection measurements. The resulting membranes showed an asymmetric structure with finger-like pores in which the surface roughness declined by adding different dosages of LaVO₃ nanosheets. Contact angle measurements proved that the hydrophilicity of the nanocomposite membranes significantly increased. Furthermore, the water flux of the resulting nanocomposite membranes markedly enhanced due to the nanosheets incorporation. Moreover, nanocomposite membranes showed remarkable antifouling properties (flux recovery ratio ~85%) in contrast with the bare PES (flux recovery ratio ~60%). The high retention of Solazol Red SP-3B (~99%) and Bovine serum albumin (BSA) (~99%) as well as the high permeation flux of the fabricated membrane unveiled the multifunctional character of the nanocomposite membrane for purification of dyes and proteins.