Reconstruction and analysis of pore blockage fouling in ceramic ultrafiltration membranes through FIB-SEM.

ABSTRACT: Pore blockage fouling significantly impairs ultrafiltration (UF) efficiency. Recent advances in volume electron microscopy have enabled nanoscale investigations of its mechanisms. Here, we developed a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography strategy that enables accurate 3D reconstruction of organic foulant accumulation within ceramic membrane pores. FIB-SEM achieves a voxel resolution of 2 × 2 × 5 nm³. The high-resolution imaging clearly reveals the trilayer structure of ceramic UF membranes, and captures the dynamic evolution of pore blockage fouling. The interface between the top and intermediate layers emerges as the primary site for initial membrane fouling. This localized channel constriction decreases the theoretical water permeability by 76.5%,

SUBMITTER: Sheng D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12830726 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature