Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation
Abstract Membrane distillation (MD) faces critical challenges at the industrial scale, including poor permeate flux and membrane fouling. To address these issues and efficiently treat highly saline water, this study presents a nature-inspired approach to fabricating a robust multilayer Janus membran...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Clean Water |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00482-2 |
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| author | Aminu Doguwa Mohammed Abdul Azeem Hilal Ahmad Dahiru Umar Lawal Turki Nabieh Baroud |
| author_facet | Aminu Doguwa Mohammed Abdul Azeem Hilal Ahmad Dahiru Umar Lawal Turki Nabieh Baroud |
| author_sort | Aminu Doguwa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Membrane distillation (MD) faces critical challenges at the industrial scale, including poor permeate flux and membrane fouling. To address these issues and efficiently treat highly saline water, this study presents a nature-inspired approach to fabricating a robust multilayer Janus membrane using a gecko-inspired adhesion mechanism. The proposed membrane was fabricated using a layer-by-layer co-deposition method, combining a surface-roughened PVDF flat-sheet membrane prepared via phase inversion with an electrosprayed hydrophobic PVDF-HFP interfacial layer modified with CuO nanoparticles and an electrospun hydrophilic PEI fiber bottom layer. The hydrophobic top layer exhibited a water contact angle of 131.5°, followed by a superhydrophobic interfacial layer and the bottom/support layer with a contact angle of 41.4°, enabling superior directional wettability. The Janus membrane achieved an impressive water gap membrane distillation (WGMD) flux of 37.16 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ with a high salt rejection rate of 99.99% over 24 h. Furthermore, the membrane demonstrated long-term stability and excellent resistance to fouling and delamination in harsh saline environments, maintaining performance over 60 h of continuous MD operation. This work highlights the potential of bio-inspired engineering in developing efficient and durable membranes, offering a promising pathway for advancing MD technology for industrial-scale desalination. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d54d1469fa3461eb795084eff3ea266 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2059-7037 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Clean Water |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d54d1469fa3461eb795084eff3ea2662025-08-20T03:03:20ZengNature Portfolionpj Clean Water2059-70372025-07-018111710.1038/s41545-025-00482-2Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillationAminu Doguwa0Mohammed Abdul Azeem1Hilal Ahmad2Dahiru Umar Lawal3Turki Nabieh Baroud4Materials Science and Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, KFUPMMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & MineralsInterdisciplinary Research Center for Membranes and Water Security, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, KFUPMMechanical Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & MineralsMaterials Science and Engineering Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, KFUPMAbstract Membrane distillation (MD) faces critical challenges at the industrial scale, including poor permeate flux and membrane fouling. To address these issues and efficiently treat highly saline water, this study presents a nature-inspired approach to fabricating a robust multilayer Janus membrane using a gecko-inspired adhesion mechanism. The proposed membrane was fabricated using a layer-by-layer co-deposition method, combining a surface-roughened PVDF flat-sheet membrane prepared via phase inversion with an electrosprayed hydrophobic PVDF-HFP interfacial layer modified with CuO nanoparticles and an electrospun hydrophilic PEI fiber bottom layer. The hydrophobic top layer exhibited a water contact angle of 131.5°, followed by a superhydrophobic interfacial layer and the bottom/support layer with a contact angle of 41.4°, enabling superior directional wettability. The Janus membrane achieved an impressive water gap membrane distillation (WGMD) flux of 37.16 kg m⁻² h⁻¹ with a high salt rejection rate of 99.99% over 24 h. Furthermore, the membrane demonstrated long-term stability and excellent resistance to fouling and delamination in harsh saline environments, maintaining performance over 60 h of continuous MD operation. This work highlights the potential of bio-inspired engineering in developing efficient and durable membranes, offering a promising pathway for advancing MD technology for industrial-scale desalination.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00482-2 |
| spellingShingle | Aminu Doguwa Mohammed Abdul Azeem Hilal Ahmad Dahiru Umar Lawal Turki Nabieh Baroud Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation npj Clean Water |
| title | Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| title_full | Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| title_fullStr | Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| title_short | Bio-inspired surface engineered multilayer Janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| title_sort | bio inspired surface engineered multilayer janus membrane for efficient desalination of highly saline water in membrane distillation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00482-2 |
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