C. Pochat-Bohatier
"Hydrophilic additive immobilization on polysulfone membrane using radical initiated cross-linking"
Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) immobilization by radically-initiated crosslinking using potassium persulfate (KPS) was studied in view of obtaining polysulfone (PSU) membranes with long-lasting surface hydrophilicity. Reducing the hydrophobicity of polymeric materials allows the preparation of membranes with improved flux and fouling resistance.
PSU membranes with PVP as hydrophilic additive were prepared by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. A method based on ATR-FTIR technique was developed to discriminate cross-linked PVP from unreacted PVP in the membrane. The crosslinking progress was investigated as a function of temperature, KPS concentration and reaction time.
The effect of the degree of PVP crosslinking on the structure and properties of the prepared membranes was examined by studying mechanical properties, morphology by SEM, surface hydrophilicity by contact angle measurements and water permeability of the prepared membranes.