In this study, novel composites were produced by blending partially cyclized polyacryloni-trile (cPAN) and poly(amide-imide) (PAI) in N-methylpyrrolidone in order to fabricate asymmetric membranes via phase inversion method. The compatibility of PAI and cPAN through possible inter-molecular interaction was examined by quantum chemical calculations. The composite membranes were characterized by FTIR, SEM, contact angle measurements, etc. A considerable reduction in the contact angles of water and ethylene glycol (EG) was observed after adding cPAN to the PAI membrane, which is evidence of improved membrane hydrophilicity. Membrane transport properties were investigated in ultrafiltration tests by measuring the pure water flux, rejection of proteins, and flux recovery ratio (FRR). The best properties were found for the membrane containing 5 wt% cPAN; an increase in BSA rejection and a remarkable increase in FRR were observed, which can be explained by the hydrophilization of the membrane surface provided by the presence of cPAN.

Original languageEnglish
Article number489
JournalMembranes
Volume12
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Apr 2022

    Scopus subject areas

  • Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
  • Process Chemistry and Technology
  • Filtration and Separation

    Research areas

  • ultrafiltration, polymer composites, cyclized polyacrylonitrile, poly(amide-imide)

ID: 94759922