Polydopamine-assisted integration of BaTiO3 nanoparticles into PVDF membranes for high-performance piezocatalytic water treatment

Piezocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants is emerging as a promising strategy for sustainable water treatment. However, conventional piezocatalysts, such as BaTiO 3 (BT) nanoparticles suffer from limitations such as poor recyclability, nanoparticle agglomeration, and the risk of secondary pollution. This study presents a novel strategy to overcome these limitations by integrating polydopamine (PDA)-modified BT nanoparticles into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes, forming PVDF/BT-PDA x nanocomposites. PDA serves as an effective surface modifier, enhancing the dispersion of BT nanoparticles, promoting the formation of polar β-phase PVDF, and strengthening interfacial interactions within the membrane matrix. The optimized PVDF/BT-PDA 5 membrane, containing 5 wt% PDA-modified BT nanoparticles, achieved a rifampicin degradation efficiency of 72.89 %, significantly surpassing that of unmodified PVDF membranes (47.77 %) and PVDF membranes with unmodified BT nanoparticles (43.4 %). Additionally, the PVDF/BT-PDA 5 membrane maintained over 90 % degradation efficiency after nine cycles, demonstrating excellent stability and reusability. These findings demonstrate that PDA-assisted integration improves both the piezocatalytic performance and recyclability of nanocomposite membranes, offering a promising and sustainable approach for water pollution remediation.