Preparation and characterization of nanoporous polysulfone membranes with high hydrophilic property using variation in CBT and addition of tetronic‐1107 surfactant

Abstract

AbstractAsymmetric polysulfone (PSF) membranes were prepared from PSF, Tetronic‐1107, and 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) via immersion precipitation. Pure water was used as the gelation media. The effects of coagulation bath temperature (CBT) (0 and 25°C), and addition of Tetronic‐1107 on the morphology, wettability, and pure water permeation flux (PWF) of the prepared membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, and experimental set up. The contact angle measurements demonstrated that the hydrophilicities of the nanoporous PSF membranes were significantly enhanced by addition of a small amount of Tetronic‐1107 surfactant in the casting solution, along with using the lower CBT. It was also found that addition of Tetronic‐1107 in the casting solution along with increasing the CBT from 0 to 25°C incites formation of bigger pores on the top surface and results in formation of membranes with higher thickness and more porous structure in the sublayer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013