This study introduces a zwitterionic material to modify polysulfone (PSf) membranes formed by a dual bath procedure, in view of reducing their fouling propensity. The zwitterionic copolymer, derived from a random polymer of styrene and 4-vinylpyrridine and referred to as zP(S-r-4VP), was incorporated to the PSf solution without any supplementary pore-forming additive to study the effect of the sole copolymer on membrane-structuring, chemical, and arising properties. XPS and mapping FT-IR provided evidence of the modification. Macrovoids appeared and then disappeared as the copolymer content increased in the range 1–4 wt%. The copolymer has hydrophilic units and its addition increases the casting solution viscosity. Both effects play an opposite role on transfers, and so on the growth of macrovoids. Biofouling tests demonstrated the efficiency of the copolymer to mitigate biofouling with a reduction in bacterial and blood cell attachment by more than 85%. Filtration tests revealed that the permeability increased by a twofold factor, the flux recovery ratio was augmented from 40% to 63% after water/BSA cycles, and irreversible fouling was reduced by 1/3. Although improvements are needed, these zwitterionic PSf membranes could be used in biomedical applications where resistance to biofouling by cells is a requirement.
This study presents the results of modifications done to cellulose acetate (CA) membranes intended for filtration purposes using organo-montmorillonite (O-MMT) clay. The researchers incorporated O-MMT with CA to synthesize composite CA/O-MMT membranes via hand casting. The produced membranes were then characterized to determine the effect of O-MMT of varying % wt. concentrations to its surface morphology and wettability. Morphology of the membranes were observed under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), while its wettability was accounted for by subjecting the samples to contact angle and porometer analysis. SEM images revealed that the presence of O-MMT generally affects the membrane’s surface roughness while the pore size test results show that increasing the concentration of O-MMT leads to a larger average pore size. Conductivity test data suggest that though becoming less hydrophilic, the modified membranes still hold efficient in removing the salt ions from the solution and that the amount of O-MMT concentration present in the CA/O-MMT membranes is the main determining factor behind its efficacy for ion adsorption.
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