The wide application of membrane technology is usually constrained by severe attachment and accumulation of foulants on membrane surfaces, especially on the surface of intrinsic hydrophobic membrane like poly (ether sulfone) (PES) membrane. In this work, a novel amphiphilic copolymer modifier P(PEG-r-PDMS) was synthesized by free radical polymerization and bestowed dual antifouling mechanism consisting of fouling resistant and fouling release mechanisms on PES membrane. Then, a composite modifier, an amphiphilic copolymer P (PEG-PDMS-KH570) combined with SiO2 nanoparticles, was obtained through in-situ sol-gel process during the formation of PES membrane. This composite modifier enhanced the affinity between membrane matrix and SiO2 nanoparticles, offering multi-defense mechanism to PES membrane with the co-existence of SiO2 inorganic hydrophilic segment, PEG and PDMS segments on membrane surface. The surface and cross morphologies of both kinds of membranes were investigated by SEM. The surface wettability and chemical composition of modified membranes were also detected. The results of antifouling test which was using BSA as model foulant revealed both antifouling modifiers were effective and the flux decline rate of modified membranes was as low as 15.6%. The membrane modified by composite modifier containing SiO2 nanoparticles exhibited excellent antifouling stability with a flux recover ratio of nearly 100%. This study provided facile methods to construct antifouling membranes with multi-defense mechanism that showed great potential in efficient water treatment.

Engineering high-effective antifouling polyether sulfone membrane with novel amphiphilic copolymer and organic-inorganic composite modifier

254th National Meeting (2017)

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