Colloid & Nanoscience Journal

Colloid & Nanoscience Journal

Fabrication and modification of nanofiltration membranes based on copper/silver ferrite nanocomposites and their application in salt and heavy metal removal

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Yousef Razgardani
Abdolreza Moghadassi
Mina Afshari
Department of Chemical Engineering, Arak university, Arak 38156-8-8349, Iran
Abstract
Abstract

Polyethersulfone (PES)-based nanofiltration membranes were fabricated by incorporating CuFe₂O₄/Ag composite nanoparticles (CNPs) to enhance permeability, hydrophilicity, and antifouling performance. The CuFe₂O₄/Ag CNPs was synthesized via an environmentally benign co-precipitation method using arginine as a natural reducing agent, and ATR-FTIR together with FESEM analyses confirmed its characteristic functional groups, uniform morphology, and homogeneous elemental distribution; similarly, ATR-FTIR and FESEM characterization of the CuFe₂O₄/Ag-incorporated membrane verified the successful embedding of the nanoparticles, the appearance of new functional interactions within the polymer matrix, and a uniformly modified surface morphology. Mixed matrix membranes were prepared by the phase inversion technique at various CNPs loadings (0.001–1.0 wt%), and their physicochemical properties were systematically evaluated. The addition of CuFe₂O₄/Ag CNPs significantly reduced the water contact angle from 70° to 45° and increased membrane porosity from 75% to 89%, improving surface hydrophilicity and pore interconnectivity. The optimized membrane (0.1 wt%) exhibited a 2.5-fold increase in pure-water flux (from 12 to 29.0 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹) and achieved 94% Na₂SO₄ rejection. Moreover, it demonstrated excellent heavy-metal ion removal efficiencies, with 93% and 81% rejection for Cu(II) and Cr(II), respectively. The flux recovery ratio (FRR) markedly improved from 61% for pristine PES to 88% for the modified membrane, indicating enhanced antifouling resistance. These improvements are attributed to the synergistic effects of the hydrophilic CuFe₂O₄/Ag CNPs, which enhanced charge selectivity, pore uniformity. Overall, the CuFe₂O₄/Ag–PES nanocomposite membranes exhibited superior water flux, ion selectivity, and fouling resistance, demonstrating strong potential for sustainable wastewater treatment and desalination applications.

Graphical Abstract

Fabrication and modification of nanofiltration membranes based on copper/silver ferrite nanocomposites and their application in salt and heavy metal removal
Keywords
Keywords: Nanofiltration
CuFe₂O₄/Ag hybrid nanoparticles
PES mixed matrix membrane
Heavy metal removal
Antifouling performance
1.       
 
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Colloid & Nanoscience Journal
Volume 4, Issue 1
Winter 2026

  • Receive Date 27 December 2025
  • Revise Date 25 February 2026
  • Accept Date 27 February 2026