Habib Etemadi - Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran
Reza Yegani - Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran
Hamidreza Qazvini - Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Bonab, Bonab, Iran

Nanodiamond (ND) particles embedded cellulose acetate (CA) membranes were fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation method, in oredr to improvement in antibacterial activity of CA membranes. ND particles were first functionalized by 1,3-phenylenediamine (mPDA) to produce the functional amine groups (NH2) on their surfaces (ND-NH2). Different amount of ND-NH2 particles (0–0.75 wt.%) were added to the CA membranes. Surface functionalization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antibacterial tests confirmed that the nanocomposite membranes containing ND-NH2 displayed greater antibacterial enhancement against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Also, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of membrane surface after immersion in the bioreactor media (which consists of various bacteria) showed that the lowest number of bacteria was attached on the CA/ND-NH2 nanocomposite membrane with respect to other samples.

Antibacterial Activity, Cellulose Acetate, Nanocomposite Membrane, Nanodiamond