Macromolecular Engineering towards the Fabrication of Biomimetic Membranes with Water Channel Proteins for Desalination Applications

• Author / Creator

  He, Yuan

• Due to the fast development of human society and high growth of world population, fresh water shortage has become one of the most critical and urgent problems of our society. Since the discovery of aquaporins (water channel proteins), researchers have been trying to incorporate them as functional units in biomimetic material to achieve superior water permeability and solute rejection. Although the biomimetic desalination membrane technology with aquaporins has gained growing interest, it is still challenging to effectively stabilize aquaporins and fabricate robust membranes with high water permeability and salt rejection. In this work, amphiphilic peptides (BP-1 and FBP-1) were applied to stabilize aquaporin (AqpZ). From there, two novel strategies were devised to prepare AqpZ-containing membranes for desalination purpose. In the first design, AqpZ/BP-1 complex was prepared and successfully encapsulated into a dense polyamide barrier layer via interfacial polymerization on a polysulfone substrate. The resulting composite membrane showed enhancement of water permeability (28% improvement compare to negative control membrane) while maintaining high salt rejection (96%) over the testing time. In the second design, AqpZ/FBP-1 complex with alkynyl group was synthesized and then conjugated with azide functionalized porous polymeric substrate. Surface morphology imaging and surface chemical composition analyses suggest successful conjugation between the complex and the surface. The consequent membrane displays enhanced salt rejection. Both strategies showed great potential of incorporating AqpZ into membrane system for desalination applications.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Desalination membranes

• Graduation date

  Fall 2016

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3V698S54

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.