Fouling is a critical bottleneck in membrane-based filtration systems, where the accumulation of contaminants clogs pores, drastically reducing filtration efficiency. This challenge leads to decreased water flux, increased energy consumption, and shortened membrane lifespan, posing significant obstacles to sustainable water treatment. While chemical modifications of membranes are widely used to mitigate fouling, these approaches often lead to undesirable side effects, such as membrane damage that affects selectivity. This study investigates the impact of real-time induced magnetic vibrations as a continuous antifouling strategy for ultrafiltration membranes without the use of any chemicals. Our previous findings showed that affixing iron particles (0.35 g) to the membrane's backside with waterproof tape and applying a 5 Hz vibration during 45 ppm humic acid filtration led to notable antifouling, reducing flux decline to 10% (70.5% mitigation) vs. 33.9% without vibration. Resonance was confirmed via laser doppler vibrometer. Building on this foundation, the present study advances the approach by synthesizing magnetic membranes in which iron particles are sandwiched between two nonwoven fabric layers and coated with polysulfone via spin coating. This design ensures the stable integration of centrally concentrated iron particles with effective vibration intensity, unlike mixed-matrix membranes, where particle segregation diminishes the vibration strength, leading to reduced fouling mitigation and performance trade-offs due to defects. The data revealed a flux reduction of only 4.6 ± 3.9% over six hours, compared to 15.3 ± 0.4% without vibrations, resulting in an overall 69.9% fouling mitigation while maintaining 89% rejection without compromising selectivity. The data aligned well with earlier findings by demonstrating similar fouling mitigation. In addition, we investigated the relationship between membrane properties (such as dimensions, density, and tension) and their natural frequency, as well as their impact on antifouling performance.
