Effect of quenching temperature on the morphology and separation properties of polypropylene microporous tubular membranes via thermally induced phase separation

Abstract

Polypropylene microporous tubular membranes were prepared by using camphene as solvent and through thermally induced phase separation at various quenching temperatures. Characterization of the resulting membrane included scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide angle X-ray scattering. Microscopic observation showed that the membrane was composed of spherical clusters and had a leafy structure. The crystallinity increased with the quenching temperature. The crystalline structure was of smectic form. Permeation performance was also determined, including pure water permeability and retention of dextran. The results showed that at lower quenching temperatures, the structure of membrane was denser. Therefore, the permeability was lower and the retention was higher.