Fouling and protein adsorption effect of low-temperature plasma treatment of membrane surfaces

Preliminary study on the effects of ageing cold oxygen plasma treated PET/PP with respect to protein adsorption

Surfaces of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) have been modified by oxygen plasma. The surface hydrophilicity and changes in topography during up to 90 days storage in water and in dry air in a desiccator were analysed by dynamic contact angle test and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Clear ageing effects on the plasma treated surface were observed as increases in contact angle and changes in roughness as functions of increasing storage time. However, the effect of oxygen plasma treatment to increase the hydrophilicity of surface was still evident on the treated surfaces even after 90 days storage either in dry air or in water. In protein adsorption experiments, human serum albumin (HSA) and fibrinogen (Fg) were adsorbed on untreated and oxygen plasma treated PET and PP surfaces. The quantified ATR-FTIR results showed that both HSA and Fg adsorption on PET and PP surfaces decreased after oxygen plasma treatment, with the effect most evident for HSA. Although for both proteins adsorption increased with ageing, the amount of adsorbed proteins was still lower than untreated surface at 30 days. This suggests the shelf life of oxygen plasma treated samples could be as long as 30 days.

Tailoring the Properties of Asymmetric Cellulose Acetate Membranes by Gas Plasma Etching

Cellulose triacetate (CTA) ultrafilters and cellulose acetate blend (CAB) desalination membranes were treated with a radiofrequency gas plasma (tetrafluoromethane (CF(4)) or carbon dioxide (CO(2)), 47-49 W, 0.04-0.08 mbar). Treatment times were varied between 15 s and 120 min. The plasma-treated top layer of the membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements to obtain information about surface structure, chemistry, and wettability, respectively. The membrane properties (e.g., permeability, selectivity, fouling) were studied by waterflux measurements, molecular weight cutoff measurements, and fouling experiments with bovine serum albumin. CO(2) plasma treatment resulted in gradual etching of the membrane's dense top layer. Permeation and selectivity changed significantly for treatment times of 0-15 min for CTA and 5-60 min for CAB membranes. Moreover, CTA membranes were hydrophilized during CO(2) plasma treatment whereas CF(4) plasma treatment led to hydrophobic surfaces due to strong fluorination of the top layer. This study shows that gas plasma etching can tailor the properties of asymmetric cellulose acetate membranes by simultaneously modifying the chemistry and structure of the top layer. The low fouling properties of CTA membranes were thereby largely maintained.

Monitoring Protein Fouling of Metal Surfaces via a Quartz Crystal Microbalance

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has been used to study the fouling of chromium and hydrophobically modified gold surfaces when heated with milk proteins. Solutions of pure beta-lactoglobulin and a commercial skimmed milk powder were studied at 3 wt%, neutral pH, and before and after heating the solutions to 80 degrees C. The ease of removal of the adsorbed protein by rinsing with buffer and 1 wt% Tween 20 was also studied. The beta-lactoglobulin behaved rather similarly on the hydrophobic gold and chromium surfaces: Tween 20 was not particularly effective in removing this protein after heating. On the other hand, Tween 20 seemed more efficient at removing the heated skimmed milk protein from the hydrophobic gold surface, but less efficient at removing the skimmed milk from the chromium surface (which also exhibited the highest adsorbed amounts of either protein). On chromium, trypsin followed by buffer removed almost all the beta-lactoglobulin but had little effect on the adsorbed layers from skimmed milk. These changes are interpreted in terms of the hydrodynamic thickness of the adsorbed films and lead to the conclusion that the QCM is a highly sensitive way of monitoring adsorbed film properties during heating, cooling, and detergent action. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.