Enhancing Hydrophilicity and Efficiency of PVC-Based Nanofiber Membranes by Adding PEG, Chitosan, and Silver Nanoparticles for Water Filtration ^†

This study aims to investigate PVC-based nanofiber membranes added with PEG, chitosan, and silver nanoparticles (CSNPs and AgNPs) to improve their hydrophilicity and filtration efficiency. The nanofiber membranes were fabricated by an electrospinning technique. All nanofiber membranes were subjected to a tensile test according to the ASTM D882 standard and water contact angle (WCA) measurement. SEM was used to examine nanofiber morphology. Adding PEG to PVC increased hydrophilicity, lowering the water contact angle from 135° to 83°, while adding CSNPs and AgNPs to PEG/PVC slightly decreased it. The inclusion of these nanoparticles improved membrane tensile strength. In filtration tests, 0.5% AgNPs/PEG/PVC worked better against Colitinja bacteria than the CSNP variant. However, both types of nanoparticles were equally effective at inhibiting E. coli. These results indicate that 0.5% CSNP/PEG/PVC and 0.5% AgNPs/PEG/PVC membranes are promising for antibacterial water filtration applications due to their hydrophilic and durable properties.