TY - JOUR

T1 - One-step preparation of antifouling polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes via modification by a cationic polyelectrolyte based on polyacrylamide

AU - Plisko, Tatiana V.

AU - Bildyukevich, Alexandr V.

AU - Burts, Katsiaryna S.

AU - Ermakov, Sergey S.

AU - Penkova, Anastasia V.

AU - Kuzminova, Anna I.

AU - Dmitrenko, Maria E.

AU - Hliavitskaya, Tatiana A.

AU - Ulbricht, Mathias

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

PY - 2020/5/1

Y1 - 2020/5/1

N2 - A novel method for one-step preparation of antifouling ultrafiltration membranes via a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique is proposed. It involves using aqueous 0.05-0.3 wt. % solutions of cationic polyelectrolyte based on a copolymer of acrylamide and 2-acryloxyethyltrimethylammonium chloride (Praestol 859) as a coagulant in NIPS. Asystematic study of the effect of the cationic polyelectrolyte addition to the coagulant on the structure, performance and antifouling stability of polysulfone membranes was carried out. The methods for membrane characterization involved scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle and zeta-potential measurements and evaluation of the permeability, rejection and antifouling performance in human serum albumin solution and surface water ultrafiltration. It was revealed that in the presence of cationic polyelectrolyte in the coagulation bath, its concentration has a major influence on the rate of "solvent-non-solvent" exchange and thus also on the rate of phase separation which significantly affects membrane structure. The immobilization of cationic polyelectrolyte macromolecules into the selective layer was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. It was revealed that polyelectrolyte macromolecules predominately immobilize on the surface of the selective layer and not on the bottom layer. Membrane modification was found to improve the hydrophilicity of the selective layer, to increase surface roughness and to change zeta-potential which yields the substantial improvement of membrane antifouling stability toward natural organic matter and human serum albumin.

AB - A novel method for one-step preparation of antifouling ultrafiltration membranes via a non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique is proposed. It involves using aqueous 0.05-0.3 wt. % solutions of cationic polyelectrolyte based on a copolymer of acrylamide and 2-acryloxyethyltrimethylammonium chloride (Praestol 859) as a coagulant in NIPS. Asystematic study of the effect of the cationic polyelectrolyte addition to the coagulant on the structure, performance and antifouling stability of polysulfone membranes was carried out. The methods for membrane characterization involved scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle and zeta-potential measurements and evaluation of the permeability, rejection and antifouling performance in human serum albumin solution and surface water ultrafiltration. It was revealed that in the presence of cationic polyelectrolyte in the coagulation bath, its concentration has a major influence on the rate of "solvent-non-solvent" exchange and thus also on the rate of phase separation which significantly affects membrane structure. The immobilization of cationic polyelectrolyte macromolecules into the selective layer was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. It was revealed that polyelectrolyte macromolecules predominately immobilize on the surface of the selective layer and not on the bottom layer. Membrane modification was found to improve the hydrophilicity of the selective layer, to increase surface roughness and to change zeta-potential which yields the substantial improvement of membrane antifouling stability toward natural organic matter and human serum albumin.

KW - Antifouling performance

KW - Membrane

KW - Polyelectrolyte

KW - Ultrafiltration

KW - Water treatment

KW - membrane

KW - PLURONIC F127

KW - POLYPHENYLSULFONE

KW - REAGENTS

KW - polyelectrolyte

KW - PERFORMANCE

KW - SURFACE MODIFICATION

KW - antifouling performance

KW - ultrafiltration

KW - HYDROPHILIZATION

KW - water treatment

KW - THIN-FILM COMPOSITE

KW - LAYER

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085246822&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/POLYM12051017

DO - 10.3390/POLYM12051017

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85085246822

VL - 12

JO - Polymers

JF - Polymers

SN - 2073-4360

IS - 5

M1 - 1017

ER -