Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), P.O. Box 5825, Doha, Qatar.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering and A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
Sci Rep. 2017 May 9;7(1):1598. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01714-3.
Advanced membranes that enable ultrafast water flux while demonstrating anti-biofouling characteristics can facilitate sustainable water/wastewater treatment processes. MXenes, two-dimensional (2D) metal carbides and nitrides, have attracted attention for applications in water/wastewater treatment. In this work, we reported the antibacterial properties of micrometer-thick titanium carbide (TiCT) MXene membranes prepared by filtration on a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) support. The bactericidal properties of TiCT modified membranes were tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) by bacterial growth on the membrane surface and its exposure to bacterial suspensions. The antibacterial rate of fresh TiCT MXene membranes reaches more than 73% against B. subtilis and 67% against E. coli as compared with that of control PVDF, while aged TiCT membrane showed over 99% growth inhibition of both bacteria under same conditions. Flow cytometry showed about 70% population of dead and compromised cells after 24 h of exposure of both bacterial strains. The damage of the cell surfaces was also revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis, respectively. The demonstrated antibacterial activity of MXene coated membranes against common waterborne bacteria, promotes their potential application as anti-biofouling membrane in water and wastewater treatment processes.
先进的膜能够实现超快的水通量，同时表现出抗生物污染的特性，从而可以促进可持续的水/废水处理过程。二维（2D）金属碳化物和氮化物 MXenes 因其在水/废水处理中的应用而受到关注。在这项工作中，我们报道了通过在聚偏二氟乙烯（PVDF）支撑体上过滤制备的微米厚碳化钛（TiCT）MXene 膜的抗菌性能。通过在膜表面上生长细菌及其暴露于细菌悬浮液来测试 TiCT 改性膜对大肠杆菌（E. coli）和枯草芽孢杆菌（B. subtilis）的杀菌性能。与对照的 PVDF 相比，新鲜 TiCT MXene 膜对枯草芽孢杆菌的抗菌率达到 73%以上，对大肠杆菌的抗菌率达到 67%以上，而老化的 TiCT 膜在相同条件下对两种细菌的生长抑制率均超过 99%。流式细胞术显示，两种细菌在暴露 24 小时后，死亡和受损细胞的比例约为 70%。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和原子力显微镜（AFM）分析分别显示了细胞表面的损伤。涂覆 MXene 的膜对常见水传播细菌表现出的抗菌活性，促进了它们在水和废水处理过程中作为抗生物污染膜的潜在应用。
