Fabrication of conductive Ni-coated SiC ceramic membrane via electroless Ni plating for enhanced antifouling and cleaning performance

Silicon carbide (SiC) membranes are distinguished by their high hydraulic permeability, exceptional chemical and thermal stability, and mechanical strength. Despite these advantages, membrane fouling limits their broader application in water treatment. This study presents electrically conductive Ni-coated SiC membranes (Ni@SiC), fabricated through conformal electroless nickel deposition. After Ni coating, the pure-water flux was 375.9 L·m⁻ 2 ·h⁻ 1 , closely matching the pristine membrane's 392.0 L·m⁻ 2 ·h⁻ 1 . Antifouling performance was evaluated using DC voltages from 0 to −2.0 V with bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA) as representative natural organic foulants. At −1.0 V, after 30 min filtration, normalized flux increased by 68.6 % for BSA, 24.6 % for HA, and 31.3 % for SA compared with the corresponding cases without voltage. For natural river water, applying −2.0 V further increased remaining permeate flux by 268.6 %. Physical backwashing only partially restored flux, irreversible fouling accumulated significantly after five cycles. In situ membrane cleaning via electro-activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) was conducted which achieved a 99.5 % flux recovery ratio under optimal conditions. This research shows that Ni plating on SiC membranes via electroless deposition enhances antifouling and in situ cleaning capabilities under electrically assisted systems, offering a promising solution for membrane-based water treatment.