Uncovering the effect of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) molecular weight and vinyl alcohol content on morphology, antifouling, and permeation properties of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane: thermodynamic and formation hydrodynamic behavior

doi:10.1007/s11705-023-2331-y

Front. Chem. Sci. Eng.

2023, Vol. 17

Issue (10) : 1484-1502 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-023-2331-y

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Uncovering the effect of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) molecular weight and vinyl alcohol content on morphology, antifouling, and permeation properties of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane: thermodynamic and formation hydrodynamic behavior

Sania Kadanyo^1,², Christine N. Matindi^1,², Derrick S. Dlamini⁴, Nozipho N. Gumbi³, Yunxia Hu^1,², Zhenyu Cui^1,², Jianxin Li^1,^2,³(

)

¹. State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, National Center for International Joint Research on Membrane Science and Technology, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
². School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
³. Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa Science Campus, Florida 1710, South Africa
⁴. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, UCLA California NanoSystems Institute and UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA

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Abstract

Various hydrophilic poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) were used herein to precisely control the structure and hydrodynamic properties of polysulfone (PSF) membranes. Particularly, to prepare pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends with increasing vinyl alcohol (VOH: 73%, 68%, 56%), the non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) technique was used. Polyethylene glycol was used as a compatibilizer and as a porogen in N,N-dimethylacetamide. Rheological and ultrasonic separation kinetic measurements were also carried out to develop an ultrafiltration membrane mechanism. The extracted membrane properties and filtration capabilities were systematically compared to the proposed mechanism. Accordingly, the addition of EVOH led to an increase in the rheology of the dopes. The resulting membranes exhibited a microporous structure, while the finger-like structures became more evident with increasing VOH content. The PSF/EVOH behavior was changed from immediate to delayed segregation due to a change in the hydrodynamic kinetics. Interestingly, the PSF/EVOH32 membranes showed high hydrophilicity and achieved a pure water permeability of 264 L·m^–2·h^–1·bar^–1, which was higher than that of pure PSF membranes (171 L·m^–2·h^–1·bar^–1). In addition, PSF/EVOH32 rejected bovine serum albumin at a high rate (> 90%) and achieved a significant restoration of permeability. Finally, from the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic results, valuable insights into the selection of hydrophilic copolymers were provided to tailor the membrane structure while improving both the permeability and antifouling performance.

Keywords polysulfone blend modification ultrafiltration membrane formation hydrodynamics poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) copolymer

Corresponding Author(s): Jianxin Li

Just Accepted Date: 26 May 2023 Online First Date: 01 August 2023 Issue Date: 07 October 2023

Cite this article:

Sania Kadanyo,Christine N. Matindi,Derrick S. Dlamini, et al. Uncovering the effect of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) molecular weight and vinyl alcohol content on morphology, antifouling, and permeation properties of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane: thermodynamic and formation hydrodynamic behavior[J]. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng., 2023, 17(10): 1484-1502.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/10.1007/s11705-023-2331-y
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fcse/EN/Y2023/V17/I10/1484

Scheme1 Membrane preparation and suggested interactions between PSF, EVOH, and PEG.

Scheme2 Crossflow filtration experimental setup.

Fig.1 DSC curves of PSF and PSF/EVOH27, PSF/EVOH32, PSF/EVOH44 blend systems with PEG 20 kDa (PSF/EVOH = 80/20 wt %).

Fig.2 TGA curves of PSF and PSF/EVOH27, PSF/EVOH32, PSF/EVOH44 blend systems with PEG 20 kDa (PSF/EVOH = 80/20 wt %).

Fig.3 Viscosity curves of PSF, PSF/EVOH27, PSF/EVOH32, PSF/EVOH44 blend systems with PEG 20 kDa (PSF/EVOH = 80/20 wt %) at the temperature value of 25 °C.

Fig.4 SEM images of (a) pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes obtained from (b) PSF/EVOH27/PEG, (c) PSF/EVOH32/PEG, (d) PSF/EVOH44/PEG systems.

Tab.1 Properties of PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes

Scheme3 Proposed membrane formation mechanism.

Fig.5 (a) Ultrasonic signal spectra during the membrane formation (PSF/PEG/DMAc) and (b) ultrasonic signal movement in the time domain during the membrane formation.

Fig.6 (a) FTIR spectra of PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes and (b) Raman analysis of PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes.

Tab.2 Elemental composition (at %) at C 1s, O 1s, and S 2p for all membranes for PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes

Fig.7 XPS spectra for (a) PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes and (b) the corresponding C 1s deconvoluted peaks.

Fig.8 (a) The static water CA of the pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends; (b) surface charge (mV) of pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends.

Fig.9 The pure water permeance of pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends.

Scheme4 Proposed mechanism of the microstructure of PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes and water transfer through membrane behavior.

Fig.10 (a) The dynamic time-dependent permeance versus operating time of PSF and PSF/EVOH blend membranes throughout the pure water permeance (J_w1 and J_w2) (I and III) and BSA solute permeation (J_p) as different stages (II), and (b) the FP and PRR of the PSF and PSF/EVOH blends.

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