Abstract
A homologous series of hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs) was successfully synthesized via an esterification reaction of 2,2-bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA) with pentaerythritol. The molecular weights of the HBPEs were 2160, 2660, 4150 and 5840 g/mol, respectively. These HBPEs were used as additives to prepare polysulfone (PSf) hollow fiber membranes via non-solvent induced phase separation. The characteristic behaviors of the casting solution were investigated, as well as the morphologies, hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of the PSf membranes. The results showed that the initial viscosities of the casting solutions were increased, and the shear-thinning phenomenon became increasingly obvious. The demixing rate first increased and then decreased when increasing the HBPE molecular weight, and the turning point was 2660 g/mol. The PSf hollow fiber membranes with different molecular weights of HBPEs had a co-existing morphology of double finger-like and sponge-like structures. The starting pure water contact angle decreased obviously, and the mechanical properties improved.
Highlights
Due to its low cost, superior membrane-forming ability and good mechanical and anti-compaction properties, polysulfone (PSf) is widely used to prepare ultrafiltration (UF) membranes [1,2,3]
By using hyperbranched polyesters (HBPEs) with different molecular weights, we focused on its effects on the morphology, hydrophilicity and mechanical properties of PSf hollow fiber membranes
The chemical structure of the HBPEs based on PER and and bis(methylol)propionic acid (bis-MPA)
Summary
Due to its low cost, superior membrane-forming ability and good mechanical and anti-compaction properties, polysulfone (PSf) is widely used to prepare ultrafiltration (UF) membranes [1,2,3]. The hydrophobic nature of PSf leads to the low permeability and high fouling of the PSf membranes, which reduce the membranes’ life and limit their application [4,5]. To improve surface hydrophobicity and membrane permeability, many efforts have been devoted to membrane modification, including chemical modification [6,7,8], irradiation modification [9,10], blending modification [11,12,13,14,15,16] and so on. Liu et al [12]
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