| Summary: | Membrane fouling is a challenge for the development of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Synergistic alkaline cleaning and membrane material modification is a promising membrane fouling control method. Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA)/graphene oxide (GO) UF blend membranes with different GO contents were prepared via non-solvent–induced phase separation. The structure, filtration properties, and alkali resistance performance of the PMIA/GO membranes were different from those of PMIA membranes because GO contains several polar oxygen-containing functional groups. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the prepared PMIA/GO membranes presented large and tunnel-like microvoids which conferred excellent water permeability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis indicated that GO was successfully incorporated in the membranes and remained in the membranes after cleaning. The dynamic contact angle (DCA) analysis results demonstrated that the PMIA/GO membranes possessed remarkable hydrophilicity. Moreover, the separation performance of all membranes for bovine serum albumin (BSA) exceeded 93.50%, and the PMIA/GO-2 membrane with a GO content of 0.1 wt% presented the best reversible and irreversible anti-fouling capability of all prepared membranes. The as-prepared UF membranes can be used for protein contamination treatment, particularly for ovalbumin (OVA) separation, and can be used under alkaline conditions. Moreover, the membranes could be reused. The alkali resistance of the membranes was systematically evaluated and its mechanism was analysed in detail, and PMIA was confirmed as a promising UF membrane material.
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