Morphological control of porous membranes based on aromatic polyether/water soluble polymers

This work describes the development of porous membranes based on blends of an aromatic polyether bearing main and side chain pyridine units (AP) with hydrophilic ionic polymers, like poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSSNa) and its acid form (PSSH), or non-ionic like polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyethylene glycol. Porous membranes were obtained after the removal of the water soluble polymers from the respective blend. The effect of various parameters such as water soluble polymer used (pore former), blend composition, casting solvent, and solvent evaporation level on porous structure formation was studied thoroughly. Specifically, SEM examination for the aforementioned systems indicated various porous morphologies depending on experimental conditions as well as thermodynamic and kinetic parameters occurring during their formation. The thermal properties of the membranes were influenced by the kind of the pore former, as revealed by thermogravimetric analysis. Special attention was paid to the systems AP/PSSNa and AP/PSSH to evaluate their miscibility via dynamic mechanical analysis and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. AP/PSSNa membranes have been preliminary used to test the water permeability for water purification. The tests revealed high water flux values at increased PSSNa concentrations. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.