Engineering high flux 2D titanium MXene incorporated membranes for broad spectrum pollutant rejection

Abstract

This study presents the successful synthesis of two-dimensional titanium MXene Ti₃C₂T_x and its incorporation into polyphenylsulfone membranes for enhanced water purification. The titanium MXene-embedded polyphenylsulfone exhibited a significant increase in water permeation, achieving a flux of 244 L m⁻² h⁻¹ compared to 93 L m⁻² h⁻¹ in polyphenylsulfone membrane without the MXene additive. The modified membrane also demonstrated improved hydrophilicity, as evidenced by a decrease in water contact angle from 82.8° to 69°, facilitating greater water affinity and transport. In dye filtration tests, the optimal membrane achieved high removal efficiencies of 95.83 % for reactive black 5 dye and 81.7 % for reactive orange 16 dye, along with a remarkable 98.2 % removal of humic acid. Fabricated membrane is successful in rejecting 78.4 % of antibiotic named tetracycline. These results highlight the potential of titanium MXene as an additive to enhance the performance of polyphenylsulfone membranes, providing an effective solution for high-flux, selective water purification applications.