Preparation of mixed matrix self-cleaning membrane incorporated by Z-scheme heterostructure via robust engineering in terms of dimension for decreasing cake fouling in a cross-flow reactor.

Reducing irreversible fouling in polymer membranes by integrating photocatalytic and membrane processes as the self-cleaning photocatalytic membrane is a promising candidate for improving membrane filtration performance. In this study, mixed matrix photocatalytic membranes were prepared from the combination of different morphologies ZnO-g-C ₃ N ₄ heterostructure in the polymer matrix by the phase-separation method. To investigate the self-cleaning and performance properties of mixed matrix photocatalytic membranes prepared from different morphologies heterostructures, the photocatalytic membrane reactor with a visible-light source was applied. Nanoflower/nanosheet (NF/NS) ZnO-g-C ₃ N ₄ photocatalytic membrane showed good self-cleaning performance owing to the high photocatalytic performance of NF/NS ZnO-g-C ₃ N ₄ heterostructure by the reduction of irreversible membrane fouling, thus improving the antifouling and filtration performance of the membrane. Also, the morphology and the uniform distribution of the NF/NS ZnO-g-C ₃ N ₄ heterostructure in the membrane matrix caused good hydrophilic properties, high porosity, and a more symmetrical structure in the (NF/NS) ZnO-g-C ₃ N ₄ photocatalytic membrane (F ₄ ). For the F ₄ membrane, the permeability and rejection values increased from 40.35 L m ^-2 h ^-1 and 90.9% in the dark environment to 84.37 L m ^-2 h ^-1 and 97.4% under visible-light for dye pollutants. Accordingly, F ₄ had the best filtration and self-cleaning performance, which can be used as a promising visible-light photocatalytic membrane in wastewater treatment processes.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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