Fouling Mitigation by Surface-Patterned Polymeric Membranes in Water Treatment: A Review of Recent Advancements in Fabrication Techniques

The world is constantly challenged regarding managing environmental and ecological contamination due to human and industrial activities. This is because of the constant threat posed by pollution. Nowadays, membrane-based technology is a growing field, making practically all the separation of foulant from wastewater possible. The membrane fouling resulting from the interaction between the foulant and the membrane surface presents a challenge for the technology in maintaining performance over extended periods of operation. As a result, there is a rising interest in research focusing mainly on creating patterned membrane surfaces that reduce fouling and effectively enhance the surface area. This article comprehensively overviews the most recent and cutting-edge techniques that can be applied to modify and construct high-performance patterned membranes suitable for ultrafiltration, microfiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis (UF, MF, NF, and RO) water purification processes. In this study, recent developments in membrane material are dissected, focusing on methods for improving surface chemistry, structure, and hydrodynamics, as well as the consequences of these characteristics on filtering performance. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.