Mussel-inspired modification of Microporous polypropylene membranes for functional catalytic degradation

In this manuscript, an easy method of anchoring Au nanoparticles onto a polypropylene (PP) membrane to prepare a composite Au-PP membrane with catalytic activity was demonstrated. The surface of the PP membrane was first modified with a primary amine by mussel-inspired dopamine polymerization. Then, the modified PP membrane was used to reduce chloroauric acid to anchor Au nanoparticles onto the surface, forming a Au-PP membrane. The surface morphology and composition of the modified PP membrane were characterized with SEM, ATR-FTIR and XPS. The catalytic activity of the Au-PP membrane was also evaluated by the degradation of a model dye solution of methylene blue. The fabricated membrane shows excellent catalytic performance, and the catalytic activity can be effectively regenerated.