Silver nanoparticle decorated cellulose nanofibrous membrane with good antibacterial ability and high water permeability

Abstract Membranes with high separation efficiency and antibacterial functions are promising candidates for drinking water intake during emergency events. Herein, we report a simple filtration process to prepare silver nanoparticle decorated cellulose nanofibrous (CNFs) membrane. These CNFs were prepared via 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl oxidation process. Ag/CNFs composite nanofibers were fabricated by an in situ reduction method. After filtering Ag/CNFs composite dispersion on a macroporous support, a 710-nm thick Ag/CNFs membrane with Ag loading amount of 3.6 wt% was formed, which presents 86% rejection for 5-nm nanoparticles from water with flux of about 1000 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. In addition, this membrane shows excellent antibacterial ability. This membrane holds potential for field water treatment during emergency events.