Antifouling ultrafiltration membrane composed of polyethersulfone and sulfobetaine copolymer

A new random copolymer was synthesized by reacting hydrophilic N,N-dimethyl-N-methacryloxyethyl-N-(3-sulfopropyl) (DMMSA) with hydrophobic butyl methacrylate (BMA) through a conventional radical polymerization. The as-prepared sulfobetaine copolymer (DMMSA–BMA) was blended with polyethersulfone (PES) to fabricate antifouling ultrafiltration membrane for BSA separation. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of blend membranes revealed concentration of sulfobetaine groups at the membrane surfaces that endowed the membrane with higher hydrophilicity and better antifouling property. For the membrane with 8.0 wt% DMMSA–BMA copolymer concentration (No. 5), irreversible fouling has been considerably reduced and the flux recovery rate of the blend membrane reached as high as 82.8%. Furthermore, the blend membrane could effectively resist BSA fouling in a wide pH range from 4.0 to 8.0.     

ArF laser surface modification of polyethersulfone film: Effect of laser fluence in improving surface biocompatibility

ArF laser treatment of polyethersulfone (PES) films was performed to improve biocompatibility of surfaces. For this purpose, the threshold fluence for laser ablation of PES was obtained from experimental measurements and then samples were irradiated at 2 separate ranges of fluences, i.e. below and above the ablation threshold. In order to investigate the physico-chemical changes, the modified surfaces were characterized by attenuated total reflectance (ATR) infrared spectroscopy and contact-angle measurements. The biocompatibility of the treated samples in comparison to those untreated was examined in vitro using a platelet adhesion test. The number of adhered platelets was obtained using the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) method. For surfaces irradiated below the ablation threshold, a high reduction in the number of the adhered platelets was observed; while this number increased in samples treated at the fluence above the ablation threshold. The change in platelet adhesion was attributed to the change in chemistry and roughness of the irradiated surfaces.     

BPA transfer rate increase using molecular imprinted polyethersulfone hollow fiber membrane

Bisphenol A (BPA) imprinted polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber membrane was spun using a dry–wet spinning method, the membrane was then prepared as a filter with an effective area of 200 cm². The hollow fiber filter was employed to study the BPA transport behavior. The transport ability of the prepared hollow fiber membrane was measured using 100 μmol/l BPA aqueous solutions at a flow flux of 50 and 75 ml/min, respectively. The BPA transfer rate increased for the imprinted hollow fiber membranes due to the larger amount of binding sites, comparing with the non-imprinted one. In the present study, hollow fiber membrane and the molecular imprinting technique were combined for advanced separation and the data suggested that small molecules could transfer in the direction opposite to the concentration gradient due to different pH.     

Correlation between macrovoid formation and the ternary phase diagram for polyethersulfone membranes prepared from two nearly similar solvents

The morphological structure of membranes prepared from two nearly similar systems consisting of water/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/polyethersulfone (PES) and water/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)/polyethersulfone (PES) has been studied. The morphology of the prepared membranes showed that both systems exhibit an instantaneous liquid–liquid demixing that leads to the formation of macrovoids in the resulting structures. Nevertheless, the resulting macrovoid structures were contrary to the generally accepted concepts concerning macrovoid formation. The membranes morphologies showed that in spite of better miscibility between water and DMAc, which must promote the formation of channel- and finger-like structures, more sponge-like structures were observed in membranes prepared from the water/DMAc/PES system compared to those prepared from the water/NMP/PES system. To find the source of this unexpected phenomenon, the complete ternary phase diagrams consisting of theoretical binodal curves, vitrification boundaries, and gelation boundaries were constructed for both systems and it was shown that gelation process occurs earlier in the water/DMAc/PES system compared to the other system, which inhibits the growth of macrovoids in this system.     

Microfiltration membranes prepared from polyethersulfone powder grafted with acrylic acid by simultaneous irradiation and their pH dependence

Polyethersulfone (PES) powder was grafted with acrylic acid (AAc) by simultaneous γ-ray irradiation. The kinetics of the radiation induced graft polymerization was studied and the grafted PES powder was characterized. Then, microfiltration (MF) membranes were prepared from PES-g-PAAc powder with different degrees of grafting (DG) under phase inversion method. The swelling behavior and the mean pore size of MF membranes were measured, and the filtration property was tested. The results showed that the pore size and the flux of MF membranes increased with the increase in DG. And, MF membranes’ properties were dependent on the pH value.     

Improved protein-adsorption resistance of polyethersulfone membranes via surface segregation of ultrahigh molecular weight poly(styrene-alt-maleic anhydride)

A styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA) alternating copolymer with ultrahigh molecular weight (M_w > 10⁶) synthesized in super critical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) medium was used as hydrophilic polymeric additive in the preparation of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. The PES/SMA blend membranes were prepared by immersion precipitation process. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) measurements confirmed that the hydrolyzed SMA preferentially segregated to membrane–coagulant interface during membrane formation. For the PES/SMA blend membranes, no big change was observed in the cross-sectional structure and the mechanical properties were well maintained after SMA addition except that a thicker top layer was formed. The surface morphology analysis by atomic force microscopy (AFM) showed that the membrane surface roughness increased with the added SMA amount. The results of water contact angle, water absorbance measurements and static protein adsorption experiments revealed that the surface enrichment of SMA endowed PES/SMA blend membranes with significantly improved surface hydrophilicity and protein-adsorption resistance.     

Hydrophilic modification of polyethersulfone porous membranes via a thermal-induced surface crosslinking approach

A thermal-induced surface crosslinking process was employed to perform a hydrophilic surface modification of PES porous membranes. Difunctional poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) was used as the main crosslinking modifier. The addition of trifunctional trimethylolpropane trimethylacrylate (TMPTMA) into the reaction solutions accelerated the crosslinking progress of PEGDA on PES membranes. The membrane surface morphology and chemical composition were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. The mass gains (MG) of the modified membranes could be conveniently modulated by varying the PEGDA concentration and crosslinking time. The measurements of water contact angle showed that the hydrophilicity of PES membranes was remarkably enhanced by the coating of crosslinked PEGDA layer. When a moderate mass gain of about 150 μg/cm² was reached, both the permeability and anti-fouling ability of PES membranes could be significantly improved. Excessive mass gain not only contributed little to the anti-fouling ability, but also brought a deteriorated permeability to PES membranes.     

停留时间对聚醚砜微孔膜的作用

以聚醚砜为膜材料,二甲基乙酰胺为溶剂及添加剂配成稳定铸膜液,使用水为凝胶浴,干／湿法制备聚醚砜微孔膜,研究了铸膜液在空气中的停留时间,即在入浴前铸膜液的相分离程度对微孔膜表面开孔率,孔结构等膜性能的影响,并简要分析了干／湿法制微孔膜的成膜机理,同时也研究了湿膜入水浴后,使用与水作用能力不同的非溶剂对膜平整性的影响。     

Enhancing the antifouling property of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes through surface adsorption-crosslinking of poly(vinyl alcohol)

An adsorption-crosslinking process of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was introduced to modify the surface of polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes for enhancement of their antifouling property. XPS and water contact angle measurement confirmed the obvious enhancement of surface hydrophilicity. Ultrafiltration results showed that the spreading of PVA chains over the hydrophobic membrane surface caused substantial but acceptable decrease on membrane flux. The fouling type analysis indicated that PVA adsorption effectively improved the antifouling property of PES membranes. With a PVA concentration of 0.5 wt% and three cycles of alternative adsorption-crosslinking, the total and irreversible fouling ratio of modified membranes were 0.38 and 0.22, respectively, much lower than those of control PES membrane (0.61 and 0.47), and the flux recovery ratio was increased accordingly. The long-term ultrafiltration experiment demonstrated the improvement of recycling property and the reliability of adsorption-crosslinking process.     

PREPARATION OF POLYETHERSULFONE ULTRAFILTRATION MEMBRANES FOR MILK CONCENTRATION AND EFFECTS OF ADDITIVES ON THEIR MORPHOLOGY AND PERFORMANCE

Polyethersulfone membranes were prepared from quaternary systems containing N,N-dimethylacetamide （DMAc） as solvent, polyvinylpyrrolidone （PVP） as constant additive and acetic acid, acetone and water as variable additives. Phase inversion via immersion precipitation was employed for manufacturing of membranes. The prepared films were immersed in the mixture of pure water and 2-propanol （30/70 vol%） as the non-solvent. Acetic acid caused an increment in the flux at high polymer concentration （16 wt%） and a decline in the flux at low polymer concentrations （10 wt% and 13 wt%）. Acetone and water as the solvent in the casting solution declined the flux at any polymer concentration tested. The morphology and performance of the prepared membranes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and separation experiments using milk as the feed.