Zwitterionic Polymer Brush Grafted on Polyvinylidene Difluoride Membrane Promoting Enhanced Ultrafiltration Performance with Augmented Antifouling Property.

Yu-Hsuan Chiao,Jorge Almodovar,Micah Belle Marie Yap Ang,Juin-Yih Lai,Tanmoy Patra,Shu-Ting Chen,S Ranil Wickramasinghe,Wei-Song Hung,Mani Sivakumar

doi:10.3390/polym12061303

Abstract

Superhydrophilic zwitterions on the membrane surface have been widely exploited to improve antifouling properties. However, the problematic formation of a <20 nm zwitterionic layer on the hydrophilic surface remains a challenge in wastewater treatment. In this work, we focused on the energy consumption and time control of polymerization and improved the strong hydrophilicity of the modified polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane. The sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) monomer was treated with UV-light through polymerization on the PVDF membrane at a variable time interval of 30 to 300 s to grow a poly-SBMA (PSBMA) chain and improve the membrane hydrophilicity. We examined the physiochemical properties of as-prepared PVDF and PVDF–PSBMAx using numeric analytical tools. Then, the zwitterionic polymer with controlled performance was grafted onto the SBMA through UV-light treatment to improve its antifouling properties. The PVDF–PSBMA120s modified membrane exhibited a greater flux rate and indicated bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection performance. PVDF–PSBMA120s and unmodified PVDF membranes were examined for their antifouling performance using up to three cycles dynamic test using BSA as foulant. The PVDF-modified PSBMA polymer improved the antifouling properties in this experiment. Overall, the resulting membrane demonstrated an enhancement in the hydrophilicity and permeability of the membrane and simultaneously augmented its antifouling properties.

Highlights

Membrane-based techniques have recently been broadly utilized in water purification and separation of contaminated wastewater due to their low energy consumption, excellent separation performance, reliability, space-saving efficiency, and environmental friendliness [1,2]
The morphology of the polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF)-modified PSBMA membrane was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM S-4800) and its surface charge was measured by the zeta potential (SurPASS Electrokinetic Analyzer, Anton Paar, Ashland, VA, USA)
A zwitterionic polymer was grown on a commercial PVDF membrane using the

Summary

Introduction

Membrane-based techniques have recently been broadly utilized in water purification and separation of contaminated wastewater due to their low energy consumption, excellent separation performance, reliability, space-saving efficiency, and environmental friendliness [1,2]. Polymers 2020, 12, 1303 the protein separation membrane used for filtration can be afflicted by several problems related to biological and organic fouling, which raises the operating costs. This problem is normally solved by improving the membrane surface hydrophilicity with the addition of the hydrophilic fabric, as this can provide strong protein resistance based on the steric hindrance and hydration shell [3,4,5]. The steric deterrent [12] and adversely charged surface assume a significant role in zwitterionic materials [6] Every one of these components contributes consistently to the antifouling qualities of zwitterionic chemicals in membranes

Methods

Results

Conclusion