Journal
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
Volume 505, Issue -, Pages 53-60Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2016.01.030
Keywords
Block copolymers; Phase inversion; Polyethylene glycol; Polysulfone; Surface segregation
Categories
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2015CB655301]
- Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province [BK20150063]
- Project of Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD)
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Surface segregation of amphiphilic copolymers in the phase inversion process has long been used to improve membrane hydrophilicity. Typically, the copolymer is sparsely dosed into the casting solutions as additives. Herein we substantially increase the dosages of amphiphilic copolymers, and obtain blend ultrafiltration membranes with synergetically upgraded performances because of extra permeability enhancing effect of the copolymer in addition to the surface segregation effect. We blend amphiphilic block copolymer, polysulfone-block-polyethylene glycol (PSf-b-PEG), with polysulfone base polymer at various percentages up to 70%. There is no compatible issue between the PSf and PSf-b-PEG as they are miscible at any blend ratio. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirm the surface segregation of PEG blocks. Moreover, PSf-b-PEG evidently influences the phase separation process by slowing down the precipitation rate of the polymer solutions, thus producing membranes with thicker skin layers. Interestingly, increasing copolymer percentages result in more water-permeable PEG microdomains in the blend membranes and consequently enhanced water permeance. The blend membranes exhibit simultaneously upgraded permeance, hydrophilicity, fouling resistance, and also performance stability. The highest permeance reaches nearly 400 L/(m(2) h bar) at a copolymer percentage of 40%, which is much higher than those of PSf membranes prepared in other works. By comparing with PEG homopolymer, we identify that the superior performances are originated also from the additional water permeability through PEG microdomains in addition to the effect of surface segregation of PSf-bPEG copolymers. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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