Fabrication an‎d Characterization of polymeric ultrafiltration membrane for protein purification with the aim of improving antifouling properties, selec‎tivity an‎d permeability

9/27/2026 12:00:00 AM

Protein separation is one of the critical an‎d sensitive stages in pharmaceutical, food, an‎d biotechnological industries, directly influencing the final quality of the products. Ultrafiltration membrane processes have emerged as one of the efficient an‎d cost-effective methods in this field due to their high efficiency, low energy consumption, an‎d precise molecular separation capability. However, challenges such as membrane fouling an‎d performance decline over time remain major obstacles, necessitating the development an‎d improvement of membrane properties. In this study, polyethersulfone (PES) nanocomposite membranes containing polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as an additive an‎d metal–organic framework (MOF) microstructures based on chromium (MIL-101(Cr)-NH₂) an‎d zirconium (MIP-202(Zr))—along with their carboxyl-functionalized derivatives—were fabricated an‎d eva‎luated at various loadings. The membranes were prepared via a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) an‎d Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses confirmed the successful synthesis an‎d surface modification of the MOF structures an‎d their functional groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) an‎d energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analyses were employed to examine morphology an‎d particle dispersion. Surface property analyses revealed that incorporation of the MOF structures increased surface roughness an‎d enhanced membrane hydro‎philicity. The water contact angle decreased from 64.6° for the pristine membrane to 57.8°, 49.4°, 58.1°, an‎d 51.3° for membranes containing amino-functionalized an‎d carboxyl-modified MIL an‎d MIP structures (at 0.1 wt.% loading), respectively. Moreover, water flux significantly increased from 131.27 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ (LMH) for the pristine membrane to 166.2, 174.7, 180.2, an‎d 173.0 LMH for the modified samples. Additionally, the surface porosity an‎d antifouling resistance were improved, with flux recovery ratio (FRR) increasing from 77% for the pristine membrane to over 94% for the membrane containing the carboxyl-functionalized MIP structures. The bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection efficiency also increased in the modified membranes, reaching the highest value of 98.2% for the MIP-202(Zr)-based membrane. These results demonstrate that incorporating surface-functionalized MOF microstructures effectively enhances the functional performance of ultrafiltration membranes for protein purification applications an‎d represents a promising step toward improving the durability an‎d efficiency of such systems.

اولترافيلتراسيون , تخليص پروتئين , گرفتگي غشايي

ultrafiltration , Protein purification , Membrane Fouling

Mohahhad Hosien Akbarpor

Dr Toraj Mohammadi