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Environ Sci Technol 2022 May 16. Epub 2022 May 16.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, United States.

Long-term continuous monitoring (LTCM) of water quality can provide high-fidelity datasets essential for executing swift control and enhancing system efficiency. One roadblock for LTCM using solid-state ion-selective electrode (S-ISE) sensors is biofouling on the sensor surface, which perturbs analyte mass transfer and deteriorates the sensor reading accuracy. This study advanced the anti-biofouling property of S-ISE sensors through precisely coating a self-assembled channel-type zwitterionic copolymer poly(trifluoroethyl methacrylate--sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PTFEMA--SBMA) on the sensor surface using electrospray. Read More

Acc Chem Res 2022 May 11. Epub 2022 May 11.

Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China.

ConspectusMarine organisms such as barnacle larvae and spores of algae adhere to underwater surfaces leading to marine biofouling. This phenomenon has numerous adverse impacts on marine industries and maritime activities. Due to the diversity of fouling organisms and the complexity of the marine environment, it is a huge challenge to combat marine biofouling, which limits the development and utilization of marine resources. Read More

Nanoscale 2022 Apr 19. Epub 2022 Apr 19.

School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Reaction Engineering, School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, P. R. China.

Biomimetic porous materials have contributed to the enhancement of solar-driven evaporation rate in interfacial desalination and clean water production. However, due to the presence of numerous microbes in water environment, biofouling should occur inside porous materials to clog the channels for water transfer, resulting in obvious inhibition of the solar-driven evaporation efficacy in long-term use. To prevent and control biofouling in porous materials for solar-driven evaporation, a facile and environment-friendly design is required in real application. Read More

Water Res 2022 Jun 29;217:118375. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China. Electronic address:

In this study, highly antimicrobial CuNPs were integrated into a hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) coating and immobilized on a RO TFC membrane via a mild and facile reduction approach to form a stable and durable dual-functional layer. Based on the XDLVO analysis, the introduction of PDA increased the membrane-foulant total interaction energy (ΔG) to 14.13 mJ/m, resulting in improved anti-adhesive properties as demonstrated by a 37% decrease in BSA adsorption for the modified membranes. Read More

Polymers (Basel) 2022 Mar 15;14(6). Epub 2022 Mar 15.

School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Xi'an Technological University, Xi'an 710021, China.

Polymeric membranes, such as polyamide thin film composite membranes, have gained increasing popularity in wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, as well as the purification and concentration of chemicals for their high salt-rejection and water flux properties. Membrane biofouling originates from the attachment or deposition of organic macromolecules/microorganisms and leads to an increased operating pressure and shortened service life and has greatly limited the application of polymeric membranes. Over the past few years, numerous strategies and materials were developed with the aim to control membrane biofouling. Read More