Electrically conductive membranes featuring integrated porous feed spacers for superior antifouling performance

Surface patterning is a promising anti-fouling strategy, yet its integration with conductive polymers remains underexplored. This study investigates electrically conductive, surface-patterned membranes with integrated porous feed spacers using polyaniline (PANI) as a conductive additive in polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. Among tested concentrations (0.25–2.00 wt.%), 1.00 wt.% PANI membrane (PN1) showed the best performance, with electrical conductivity of ≈130.5 ± 2.87 mS·m⁻¹ and pure water flux of 107.2 ± 15.5 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ which is around five times that of pristine PES membrane. Under a 4 V electric field, PN1 exhibited lower flux decline (60.6%) and higher flux recovery (FRR 90.1 ± 2.15%). Surface-patterned PN1 membrane (PN1_Patterned) further enhanced performance, achieving a flux of 168.2 ± 20.7 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ and reduced fouling (51.6% flux decline) compared to surface-patterned PES membrane (66.7%). PN1_Patterned membrane also showed higher FRR (95.4 ± 1.68%) and stable natural organic matter (NOM) rejection ( > 92.9 ± 1.65%). These results highlight the synergistic benefits of combining conductivity with surface patterning, offering a potential approach for improved membrane performance.