Enhanced hydrophilicity and antibacterial efficacy of in-situ silver nanoparticles decorated Ti 3 C 2 T x /Polylactic acid composite membrane for real hospital wastewater purification.

This study investigates the integration of Ti ₃ C ₂ T _x (MX) and Ag/Ti ₃ C ₂ T _x (Ag/MX) nanocomposites into polylactic acid membranes to enhance hydrophilicity and impart antibacterial properties, targeting hospital wastewater treatment. MX and silver nanoparticles are known for their hydrophilicity and antimicrobial capabilities, were synthesized and incorporated into PLA; a green polymer. The impact of nanocomposite concentration on the membrane's chemical structure, morphology, and overall performance were characterized using various PLA membrane properties and to evaluate the nanocomposite's performance in enhancing pure water flux and antibacterial efficacy. The pure water permeability increased from 1512 L m ^-2  h ^-1  bar ^-1 to 3108 L m ^-2  h ^-1  bar ^-1 in PLA/AgMX4 compared to PLA. Furthermore, a total bacteria count (TBC) rejection of up to 97 % was obtained using the PLA/AgMX4 membrane. The results demonstrated significant improvements in PLA/AgMX membranes compared to pristine PLA, showing a large potential for hospital wastewater treatment.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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