Antibiofilm and antimicrobial functional membrane spacer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11027240-B2
Application number	US-201716099971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2017
Priority date	May 16, 2016
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein methods for combating biofouling in a liquid, e.g. an aqueous medium by providing a surface coated with at least one laser-induced graphene (LIG) layer in said liquid medium. Particularly disclosed herein method and devices for treating water comprising passing a water stream through a membrane module equipped with at least one spacer coated with at least one layer of LIG, and optionally by applying an electric potential to the at least one LIG layer to achieve a bactericidal effect in the water stream. Specifically, disclosed herein a polymeric mesh suitable for use as a spacer in a membrane module in water treatment application, said mesh being at least partially coated with LIG.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for combating biofouling or controlling microorganisms on a component in an aqueous medium, wherein the method comprises
(a) selecting a component having a surface, wherein
(i) the surface comprises a polymer material, and
(ii) the polymer material is not graphene and is not graphene oxide;

(b) generating a surface-coating on the surface, wherein
(i) the surface-coating comprises at least one laser-induced graphene (LIG) layer, and
(ii) the surface-coating is generated by irradiating the polymer material of the surface with a laser beam to form the at least one LIG layer on the surface; and

(c) providing the component in said aqueous medium, wherein
(i) the surface-coating combats biofouling or controls the growth of microorganisms on the component in the aqueous medium.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising coating the component with the polymer material to form the component having the surface comprising the polymer material, wherein the component is prone to biofilm formation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymer material comprises a polymer selected from a group consisting of chain growth polymers and step growth polymers.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymer material comprises a polymer selected from a group consisting of vinyl polymers and condensation polymers.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein said component prone to biofilm formation is a a pipe, a watercraft, a fuel storage tank, or of an element in a water-treatment device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said element in a water-treatment device is a membrane spacer.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising applying electrical potential to said at least one LIG layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said electrical potential is in the range between 0.5 V and 5 V.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said electrical potential is in the range between 1.1 V and 3.5 V.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein said electrical potential is applied continuously for periods of at least 1 second.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component is at least one spacer, and wherein the method comprises treating water-by passing a water stream through a membrane module equipped with the at least one spacer coated with the at least one layer of LIG.

12. A method according to claim 11 further comprising applying an electric potential to the at least one LIG layer, to achieve a bactericidal effect in the water stream.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the component is a membrane spacer.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising applying electrical potential to said at least one LIG layer.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the membrane spacer comprises a polymeric mesh.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polymeric mesh comprises polyimide.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the polymeric mesh is coated with at least two spaced apart LIG layers.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymer material comprises polyimide.

Assignees

• B G Negev Technologies And Applications Ltd At Ben Gurion Univ
• Univ Rice William M

Inventors

• Arnusch Christopher John
• Singh Swatantra Pratap
• Sargunaraj Franklin
• Oren Yoram
• Tour James Mitchell
• Li Yilun

Classifications

• B01D63/101

  Spiral winding · CPC title

• C02F2001/46133

  characterised by the material · CPC title

• C02F2305/08

  Nanoparticles or nanotubes · CPC title

• C02F1/4672

  by electrooxydation · CPC title

• C08G73/10

  Polyimides; Polyester-imides; Polyamide-imides; Polyamide acids or similar polyimide precursors · CPC title