Abstract
Nanofiltration (NF) composite membranes based on poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and sodium alginate (SA) were prepared by coating PVA/SA (95/5 in wt %) mixture solutions on microporous polysulfone (PSF) supports. For the formation of a defect free thin active layer on a support, the PSF support was multi-coated with a dilute PVA/SA blend solution. The PVA/SA active layer formed was crosslinked at room temperature by using an acetone solution containing glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent. The prepared composite membranes were characterized with a scanning electron microscopy (SEM), a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), an electrokinetic analyzer (EKA) and permeation tests: The thicknesses of the active layers were about 0.25 μm and 0.01 μm depending on the preparation conditions. The crosslinking reaction of the active layers were completed in less than three minutes via the formation of acetal linkage. The surface of the PVA/SA composite membrane was found to be anionic. The permeation properties of the composite membrane were as follows: 1.3 m3/m2 day of flux and > 95% of rejection at 200 psi for 1000 ppm PEG600 solution. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 347–354, 2000
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