Atomic-force microscopy investigations of filtration membranes

Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) is a high-resolution imaging technique which was originally developed in the 1980s to overcome certain limitations found with scanning tunneling microscopy. This chapter discusses contributions which can be made to the study and characterization of filtration membrane surfaces using the technique of AFM, using specific examples. It focuses on three examples using AFM to characterize various polymer membranes under different conditions. These examples are the study of the effects of environment and imaging mode on the observations made of polymeric nanofiltration membranes using AFM; and the study of inorganic scaling on membranes used for seawater membrane distillation. It also include the study of humic acid adhesion forces with novel polymer membranes under different conditions, including those simulating membrane bioreactor treatment of dye effluent. The techniques of AFM and contributions that have been made to the development of polymer filtration membranes, before giving detailed accounts of some recently published experiments.