Effect of adding a smart potassium ion-responsive copolymer into polysulfone support membrane on the performance of thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane
Meibo He1,2, Zhuang Liu3, Tong Li4, Chen Chen5, Baicang Liu1,2(), John C. Crittenden6
1. Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China 2. College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China 3. School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China 4. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China 5. Litree Purifying Technology Co., Ltd, Haikou 571126, China 6. Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration (NF) membranes were fabricated via the interfacial polymerization of piperazine (PIP) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride on polysulfone (PSf) support membranes blended with K+-responsive poly(N-isopropylacryamide-co-acryloylamidobenzo-15-crown-5) (P(NIPAM-co-AAB15C5)). Membranes were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope, contact angle, and filtration tests. The results showed that: (1) Under K+-free conditions, the blended P(NIPAM-co-AAB15C5)/PSf supports had porous and hydrophilic surfaces, thereby producing NF membranes with smooth surfaces and low MgSO4 rejections; (2) With K+ in the PIP solution, the surface roughness and water permeability of the resultant NF membrane were increased due to the K+-induced transition of low-content P(NIPAM-co-AAB15C5) from hydrophilic to hydrophobic; (3) After a curing treatment at 95 °C, the improved NF membrane achieved an even higher pure water permeability of 10.97 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 under 200 psi. Overall, this study provides a novel method to improve the performance of NF membranes and helps understand the influence of supports on TFC membranes.
. [J]. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2019, 13(2): 400-414.
Meibo He, Zhuang Liu, Tong Li, Chen Chen, Baicang Liu, John C. Crittenden. Effect of adding a smart potassium ion-responsive copolymer into polysulfone support membrane on the performance of thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2019, 13(2): 400-414.
Curing treatment in a DI water bath at 95 °C for 120 s
PIP/wt-%
NaOH/wt-%
KCl/(mol·L−1)
TMC in Isopar-G /(wt·v−1%)
M1
18
0
0
82
2
0.1
0
0.25
?
M2
18
0.45
2.5
81.55
2
0.1
0
0.25
?
M3
18
0.45
2.5
81.55
2
0.1
0.1
0.25
?
M4
18
0.45
2.5
81.55
2
0.1
0.1
0.25
Yes
M5
18
0.9
5
81.10
2
0.1
0
0.25
?
M6
18
0.9
5
81.10
2
0.1
0.1
0.25
?
Tab.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Membrane
O/%
C/%
N/%
S/%
Pure PSf
10.86
84.69
?
4.45
PSf-2.5
12.05
83.59
?
4.35
PSf-5
11.56
83.70
1.54
3.19
Tab.2
Fig.4
Membrane
Daverage/nm
Dmax/nm
Pore density/m−2
Surface porosity/%
Pure PSf
10.35±3.23
18.05
1.2 × 1014
1.16
PSf-2.5
11.10±3.96
24.66
1.6 × 1014
1.90
PSf-5
11.38±3.84
21.71
2.3 × 1014
2.78
Tab.3
Fig.5
Fig.6
Fig.7
Membrane
O/%
C/%
N/%
S/%
O/N
M1
15.36
72.56
10.65
1.43
1.4
M2
13.77
73.47
11.42
1.34
1.2
M3
14.47
72.74
12.25
0.54
1.2
M4
14.68
73.44
11.43
0.45
1.2
M5
14.55
74.28
10.60
0.57
1.4
M6
13.35
81.16
2.96
2.53
5.2
Tab.4
Fig.8
Fig.9
Fig.10
Fig.11
Membrane
Pure water permeability /(L·m−2·h−1·bar−1)
MgSO4 rejection/%
Operation conditions
Ref.
M4
10.97±1.45
75±7.2
200 psi, 25 °C
This work
on TA/DETA-PSF
10
>95
0.6 MPa, 25 °C
[31]
7.4
70.8
0.5 MPa, 25 °C
[51]
6.13
77.8
0.6 MPa, 25 °C
[52]
5.06
75
1 MPa
[53]
2.29
25
0.7 MPa
[54]
≈6
27.2
0.2 MPa, 20 °C
[55]
Tab.5
Fig.12
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