A potentially low fouling membrane was developed from cellulose acetate (CA) and a stimuli-responsive polymer, which offers the potential to improve permeability and selectivity, and to result in membranes with longer operational lives, lower cleaning frequencies and higher efficiencies. In this study, N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) was used as the stimuli-responsive polymer, with its stimulus being temperature. NIPAAm has a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 34�C. A temperature decrease to below the LCST caused the membrane to expand into a more hydrophilic state, while a temperature increase to above the LCST caused a collapse into a less hydrophilic state. A dope solution of CA and NIPAAm was made and membranes were casted by phase inversion. Hydrogel experiments found that as ionic strength increased, the LCST of NIPAAm decreased. CA-NIPAAm membranes showed dynamic response to temperature variations and increased protein rejection when compared to CA membranes.

Stimuli-responsive ultrafiltration membranes composed of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and cellulose acetate

248th National Meeting (2014)

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