Retno Ariadi Lusiana, Azam Muzakki Naim, Ismiyarto, Purbowatiningrum Ria Sarjono, Enny Fachriyah, Sari Edi Cahyaningrum, Agung Abadi Kiswandono, Hasan Muhtar
The scarcity of clean water due to global population growth has positioned seawater desalination as a strategic solution. Chitosan (CS), a renewable biopolymer, offers potential as a membrane material, though its practical application is hindered by low hydrophilicity, limited mechanical strength, and poor salt rejection. This study introduces a novel dual-porogen strategy using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and Triton X-100 (TrX) incorporated into maleic acid–crosslinked chitosan/gelatin (CS/Gel) membranes to simultaneously engineer pore structure and enhance physicochemical properties. Comprehensive characterization included FTIR, SEM, tensile testing, physicochemical evaluation, and desalination performance. FTIR confirmed the formation of covalent amide linkages (–CONH–), ensuring membrane stability. Incorporation of porogens increased porosity by up to 76.5 %, enhanced water uptake by 37.76 %, and reduced water contact angle by 12.84°, reflecting improved hydrophilicity. SEM revealed that PVP produced smaller, uniformly distributed pores, while TrX generated larger, less homogeneous structures. Mechanical tests showed that TrX enhanced tensile strength (56.29 MPa), whereas PVP reduced it (36.43 MPa). Desalination performance indicated that PVP-modified membranes exhibited superior salt rejection, with CS/Gel/PVP achieving 81.35 % (NaCl), 87.85 % (MgCl2), and 89.47 % (Na2SO4), at a flux of 14.81 L·m−2·h−1. Transport analysis demonstrated excellent agreement with the Hagen–Poiseuille model (R2 = 0.999), confirming that water flows predominantly through straight, uniform pores. Reusability tests further showed stable performance across three consecutive filtration cycles. Maleic acid crosslinking combined with PVP modification significantly enhances the membrane's hydrophilicity, selectivity, and durability. Therefore, the CS/Gel/PVP membrane is recommended as a strong candidate for sustainable desalination applications. Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Department of Chemistry, Diponegoro University, Tembalang, Semarang, 50275, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Universitas Lampung, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
