Zwitterionic poly (amino acid methacrylate) brushes functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles in layer-by-layer assembled membranes for selective Ion separation
- 1Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University
- 2Water Desalination Technologies Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Sciences and Technology (KACST)
Abstract
Membrane technologies face a persistent trade off between water permeability and selective ion removal, which limits their efficiency in heavy metal remediation. This work presents the development of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) functionalized with a zwitterionic polymer for water purification. Cysteine methacrylate monomer was synthesized via thiol-Michael addition and subsequently polymerized onto the surface of DMSNs using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), yielding particles with an average diameter of ~ 162 nm. The materials were characterized using SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TGA, and DLS. Adsorption studies for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions were conducted under varying pH levels and concentrations, demonstrating enhanced uptake capacity at higher concentrations. Composite membranes were fabricated by incorporating chitosan-modified DMSNs and DMSNs-PCysMA into a polysulfone matrix. These membranes were characterized and evaluated for water flux and salt rejection, with the DMSNs-PCysMA@CHIT membrane exhibiting superior water permeability. Heavy metal removal performance (Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺) was assessed using a cross-flow filtration system under varying pressures. All membranes demonstrated high removal efficiencies ranging from 85% to 99%.
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BibTeX
@article{albarrak2026zwitterionic,
title = {{Zwitterionic poly (amino acid methacrylate) brushes functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles in layer-by-layer assembled membranes for selective Ion separation}},
author = {Hadeel Albarrak and Ahmed A. Alshahrani and Hessa H. Al-Rasheed and Khalid M. Alotaibi and Abdullah Alswieleh},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-64676-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-64676-5},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Zwitterionic poly (amino acid methacrylate) brushes functionalized dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles in layer-by-layer assembled membranes for selective Ion separation
AU - Hadeel Albarrak
AU - Ahmed A. Alshahrani
AU - Hessa H. Al-Rasheed
AU - Khalid M. Alotaibi
AU - Abdullah Alswieleh
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-64676-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-64676-5
AB - Membrane technologies face a persistent trade off between water permeability and selective ion removal, which limits their efficiency in heavy metal remediation. This work presents the development of dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) functionalized with a zwitterionic polymer for water purification. Cysteine methacrylate monomer was synthesized via thiol-Michael addition and subsequently polymerized onto the surface of DMSNs using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), yielding particles with an average diameter of ~ 162 nm. The materials were characterized using SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TGA, and DLS. Adsorption studies for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions were conducted under varying pH levels and concentrations, demonstrating enhanced uptake capacity at higher concentrations. Composite membranes were fabricated by incorporating chitosan-modified DMSNs and DMSNs-PCysMA into a polysulfone matrix. These membranes were characterized and evaluated for water flux and salt rejection, with the DMSNs-PCysMA@CHIT membrane exhibiting superior water permeability. Heavy metal removal performance (Cr³⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺) was assessed using a cross-flow filtration system under varying pressures. All membranes demonstrated high removal efficiencies ranging from 85% to 99%.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -