Does Hydrophilic Polydopamine Coating Enhance Membrane Rejection of Hydrophobic Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds?

Endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), an important class of micropollutants with potent adverse health effects, are generally poorly rejected by traditional thin film composite polyamide membranes and thus pose significant risks in membrane-based water reclamation. We hypothesize that membrane rejection of hydrophobic EDCs can be enhanced by a hydrophilic surface coating. Using polydoamine (PDA) as a model hydrophilic coating layer, the PDA-coated NF90 membrane experienced an up to 75% reduction in the passage of bisphenol A compared to the control (NF90 without coating). Meanwhile, we also observed a systematic increase in the level of rejection of three hydrophobic parabens with an increase in PDA coating time. In contrast, there were no systematic changes in the rejection of neutral hydrophilic polyethylene glycol, which suggests that the enhanced rejection of EDCs was due to weakened EDC–membrane hydrophobic interaction. Further sorption tests revealed that the hydrophilic PDA coating could effectively decrease the rate of sorption of EDCs by the membrane, which is responsible for the improved rejection as predicted by the solution–diffusion theory. This study reveals an exciting opportunity for engineering membrane surface properties to enhance the rejection of targeted micropollutants, which has important implications in membrane-based water reclamation.