ANTIMICROBIAL MEMBRANE CONTAINING SILVER NANOPARTICLES

• US 20130299428A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Bikel, Matias, Van Erkel, Joost
• Application Number:
  US13/822,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20130299428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/650
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/14 Membrane materials having negatively charged functional groups
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/16 Membrane materials having positively charged functional groups
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/48 Antimicrobial properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/145 Ultrafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/147 Microfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0079 Manufacture of membranes comprising organic and inorganic components
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/00793 Dispersing a component, e.g. as particles or powder, in another component
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/009 with wave-energy, particle-radiation or plasma
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/02 characterised by their properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/12 Composite membranes; Ultra-thin membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/1216 Three or more layers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/141 Heterogeneous membranes, e.g. containing dispersed material; Mixed matrix membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/148 Organic/inorganic mixed matrix membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/022 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/08 Polysaccharides
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/40 Polymers of unsaturated acids or derivatives thereof, e.g. salts, amides, imides, nitriles, anhydrides, esters
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/4011 Polymethylmethacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/44 by dialysis, osmosis or reverse osmosis general membrane separation processes B01D61/00, membrane modules B01D63/00, electrodialysis C02F1/4693, combination of membrane modules and bioreactors C02F3/1268
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/442 by nanofiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/444 : by ultrafiltration or microfiltration
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/505 : by oligodynamic treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/70 : by reduction C02F1/4676 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/04 : Disinfection
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2303/20 : Prevention of biofouling
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/08 : Nanoparticles or nanotubes
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2305/14 : Additives which dissolves or releases substances when predefined environmental conditions are reached, e.g. pH or temperature

Abstract

The invention is directed to an antimicrobial membrane, to a method for preparing said antimicrobial membrane, to a process of operating said antimicrobial membrane, and to uses of said antimicrobial membrane.

The antimicrobial membrane of the invention comprises on at least one side of the membrane a multilayer coating, said multilayer coating having alternate polycation and polyanion layers, wherein one or more polycation layers and one or more polyanion layers comprise metal nanoparticles having antimicrobial activity, wherein

• i) said metal nanoparticles comprise silver; and
• ii) at least 75 wt. % of said metal is present in a reduced form.

Claims

1. Antimicrobial membrane, comprising on at least one side of the membrane a multilayer coating, said multilayer coating having alternate polycation and polyanion layers, wherein one or more polycation layers and one or more polyanion layers comprise metal nanoparticles having antimicrobial activity, wherein

i) said metal nanoparticles comprise silver;

and

ii) at least 75 wt. % of said metal is present in a reduced form.

2. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein the one or more polycation layers and the one or more polyanion layers comprise the same type of metal nanoparticles.

3. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein each layer of said multilayer coating has antimicrobial activity, preferably each layer of said multilayer comprises metal nanoparticles having antimicrobial activity.

4. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein said metal nanoparticles are silver nanoparticles.

5. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said polycation layers comprises chitosan.

6. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said polyanion layers comprises poly(methacrylic acid) and/or poly(methyl methacrylic acid).

7. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein the multilayer coating has a total thickness less than 5 μ

m, preferably less than 2 μ

m, and preferably consists of 2-6 layers.

8. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein said metal nanoparticles have an average particle size as measured by SEM in the range of less than 1000 nm, preferably less than 200 nm.

9. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein at least 95 wt. % of said metal is present in a reduced form, preferably at least 98 wt. % of said metal is present in a reduced form, more preferably substantially all of said metal is present in a reduced form.

10. Antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, wherein the membrane has a negative surface charge and is preferably selected from the group consisting of a polyethersulphone membrane, a polyamide, and a polyester.

11. Method for preparing an antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1, comprising

providing a membrane;

and

coating at least one side of said membrane alternately with polyanion layers and polycation layers, wherein one or more of said polyanion layers and one or more of said polycation layers comprise metal nanoparticles having antimicrobial activity, and wherein

i) said metal nanoparticles comprise silver; and

ii) at least 75 wt. % of said metal is present in a reduced form.

12. Method according to claim 11, said method further comprising reducing said metal nanoparticles, preferably by exposing the coated membrane to ultraviolet radiation or to hot water.

13. Method of operating an antimicrobial membrane as defined in claim 1 in a membrane module, comprising controlling release of the metal from the antimicrobial membrane, for example by application of a potential difference between the membrane surface and an encasement for said membrane or by adding one or more reducing compounds, such as biomagnetite.

14. Use of an antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1 for disinfecting a retentate and/or a permeate.

15. Use of an antimicrobial membrane according to claim 1 in a water treatment, preferably for disinfecting surface water.

16. Method of operating an antimicrobial membrane obtainable by a method according to claim 11 in a membrane module, comprising controlling release of the metal from the antimicrobial membrane, for example by application of a potential difference between the membrane surface and an encasement for said membrane or by adding one or more reducing compounds, such as biomagnetite.

17. Use of an antimicrobial membrane obtainable by a method according to claim 11 for disinfecting a retentate and/or a permeate.

18. Use of an antimicrobial membrane obtainable by a method according to claim 11 in a water treatment, preferably for disinfecting surface water.