Effect of adding a smart potassium ion-responsive copolymer into polysulfone support membrane on the performance of thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane

Abstract

Thin-film composite (TFC) nanofiltration (NF) membranes were fabricated via the interfacial polymerization of piperazine (PIP) and 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride on polysulfone (PSf) support membranes blended with K⁺-responsive poly(N-isopropylacryamide-co-acryloylamidobenzo-15-crown-5) (P(NIPAM-co-AAB₁₅C₅)). Membranes were characterized by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope, contact angle, and filtration tests. The results showed that: (1) Under K⁺-free conditions, the blended P(NIPAM-co-AAB₁₅C₅)/PSf supports had porous and hydrophilic surfaces, thereby producing NF membranes with smooth surfaces and low MgSO₄ rejections; (2) With K⁺ in the PIP solution, the surface roughness and water permeability of the resultant NF membrane were increased due to the K⁺-induced transition of low-content P(NIPAM-co-AAB₁₅C₅) from hydrophilic to hydrophobic; (3) After a curing treatment at 95 °C, the improved NF membrane achieved an even higher pure water permeability of 10.97 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹·bar⁻¹ under 200 psi. Overall, this study provides a novel method to improve the performance of NF membranes and helps understand the influence of supports on TFC membranes.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

nanofiltration / interfacial polymerization / support membrane / potassium ion-responsive / thin-film composite

References

[1] Pereira V J, Galinha J, Barreto Crespo M T, Matos C T, Crespo J G. Integration of nanofiltration, UV photolysis, and advanced oxidation processes for the removal of hormones from surface water sources. Separation and Purification Technology, 2012, 95: 89–96

[2] Sentana I, Puche R D S, Sentana E, Prats D. Reduction of chlorination byproducts in surface water using ceramic nanofiltration membranes. Desalination, 2011, 277(1–3): 147–155

[3] Sen M, Manna A, Pal P. Removal of arsenic from contaminated groundwater by membrane-integrated hybrid treatment system. Journal of Membrane Science, 2010, 354(1–2): 108–113

[4] Schaep J, Van der Bruggen B, Uytterhoeven S, Croux R, Vandecasteele C, Wilms D, Van Houtte E, Vanlerberghe F. Removal of hardness from groundwater by nanofiltration. Desalination, 1998, 119(1–3): 295–301

[5] Zou X, Li J. On the fouling mechanism of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane in the treatment of coal gasification wastewater. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2016, 10(4): 490–498

[6] Suresh K, Pugazhenthi G, Uppaluri R. Preparation and characterization of hydrothermally engineered TiO₂-fly ash composite membrane. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2017, 11(2): 266–279

[7] Ang W L, Mohammad A W, Hilal N, Leo C P. A review on the applicability of integrated/hybrid membrane processes in water treatment and desalination plants. Desalination, 2015, 363: 2–18

[8] Lee K P, Arnot T C, Mattia D. A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination—development to date and future potential. Journal of Membrane Science, 2011, 370(1–2): 1–22

[9] Mohammad A W, Teow Y H, Ang W L, Chung Y T, Oatley-Radcliffe D L, Hilal N. Nanofiltration membranes review: Recent advances and future prospects. Desalination, 2015, 356: 226–254

[10] Hilal N, Al-Zoubi H, Darwish N A, Mohammad A W, Abu Arabi M. A comprehensive review of nanofiltration membranes: Treatment, pretreatment, modelling, and atomic force microscopy. Desalination, 2004, 170(3): 281–308

[11] Lau W J, Ismail A F, Misdan N, Kassim M A. A recent progress in thin film composite membrane: A review. Desalination, 2012, 287: 190–199

[12] Fathizadeh M, Aroujalian A, Raisi A. Effect of lag time in interfacial polymerization on polyamide composite membrane with different hydrophilic sub layers. Desalination, 2012, 284: 32–41

[13] Ghosh A K, Hoek E M V. Impacts of support membrane structure and chemistry on polyamide-polysulfone interfacial composite membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2009, 336(1–2): 140–148

[14] Xie W, Geise G M, Freeman B D, Lee H S, Byun G, McGrath J E. Polyamide interfacial composite membranes prepared from m-phenylene diamine, trimesoyl chloride and a new disulfonated diamine. Journal of Membrane Science, 2012, 403–404: 152–161

[15] Xu X X, Zhou C L, Zeng B R, Xia H P, Lan W G, He X M. Structure and properties of polyamidoamine/polyacrylonitrile composite nanofiltration membrane prepared by interfacial polymerization. Separation and Purification Technology, 2012, 96: 229–236

[16] Tiraferri A, Yip N Y, Phillip W A, Schiffman J D, Elimelech M. Relating performance of thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes to support layer formation and structure. Journal of Membrane Science, 2011, 367(1–2): 340–352

[17] Tang C Y, Kwon Y N, Leckie J O. Effect of membrane chemistry and coating layer on physiochemical properties of thin film composite polyamide RO and NF membranes: I. FTIR and XPS characterization of polyamide and coating layer chemistry. Desalination, 2009, 242(1–3): 149–167

[18] Lv Z, Hu J, Zheng J, Zhang X, Wang L. Antifouling and high flux sulfonated polyamide thin-film composite membrane for nanofiltration. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2016, 55(16): 4726–4733

[19] Nan Q, Li P, Cao B. Fabrication of positively charged nanofiltration membrane via the layer-by-layer assembly of graphene oxide and polyethylenimine for desalination. Applied Surface Science, 2016, 387: 521–528

[20] Wahab Mohammad A, Hilal N, Nizam Abu Seman M. A study on producing composite nanofiltration membranes with optimized properties. Desalination, 2003, 158(1–3): 73–78

[21] Zhang Y, Zhang H, Li Y, Mao H, Yang G, Wang J. Tuning the performance of composite membranes by optimizing PDMS content and cross-linking time for solvent resistant nanofiltration. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(23): 6175–6186

[22] Sun S P, Chung T S, Lu K J, Chan S Y. Enhancement of flux and solvent stability of Matrimid® thin-film composite membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration. AIChE Journal, 2014, 60(10): 3623–3633

[23] An Q, Li F, Ji Y, Chen H. Influence of polyvinyl alcohol on the surface morphology, separation and anti-fouling performance of the composite polyamide nanofiltration membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2011, 367(1–2): 158–165

[24] Kim E S, Yu Q, Deng B. Plasma surface modification of nanofiltration (NF) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes to improve anti organic fouling. Applied Surface Science, 2011, 257(23): 9863–9871

[25] Ghosh A K, Jeong B H, Huang X, Hoek E M V. Impacts of reaction and curing conditions on polyamide composite reverse osmosis membrane properties. Journal of Membrane Science, 2008, 311(1–2): 34–45

[26] Singh P S, Joshi S V, Trivedi J J, Devmurari C V, Rao A P, Ghosh P K. Probing the structural variations of thin film composite RO membranes obtained by coating polyamide over polysulfone membranes of different pore dimensions. Journal of Membrane Science, 2006, 278(1–2): 19–25

[27] Li X, Wang K Y, Helmer B, Chung T S. Thin-film composite membranes and formation mechanism of thin-film layers on hydrophilic cellulose acetate propionate substrates for forward osmosis processes. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2012, 51(30): 10039–10050

[28] Wang K Y, Chung T S, Amy G. Developing thin-film-composite forward osmosis membranes on the PES/SPSf substrate through interfacial polymerization. AIChE Journal, 2012, 58(3): 770–781

[29] Emadzadeh D, Lau W J, Matsuura T, Rahbari-Sisakht M, Ismail A F. A novel thin film composite forward osmosis membrane prepared from PSf-TiO₂ nanocomposite substrate for water desalination. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2014, 237: 70–80

[30] Zhang Q, Zhang Z, Dai L, Wang H, Li S, Zhang S. Novel insights into the interplay between support and active layer in the thin film composite polyamide membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2017, 537: 372–383

[31] Zhang X, Lv Y, Yang H C, Du Y, Xu Z K. Polyphenol coating as an interlayer for thin-film composite membranes with enhanced nanofiltration performance. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2016, 8(47): 32512–32519

[32] Wu M B, Lv Y, Yang H C, Liu L F, Zhang X, Xu Z K. Thin film composite membranes combining carbon nanotube intermediate layer and microfiltration support for high nanofiltration performances. Journal of Membrane Science, 2016, 515: 238–244

[33] Chu L Y, Niitsuma T, Yamaguchi T, Nakao S, Nakao S. Thermoresponsive transport through porous membranes with grafted PNIPAM gates. AIChE Journal, 2003, 49(4): 896–909

[34] Zheng B, Wang F, Dong S, Huang F. Supramolecular polymers constructed by crown ether-based molecular recognition. Chemical Society Reviews, 2012, 41(5): 1621–1636

[35] Liu Z, Luo F, Ju X J, Xie R, Luo T, Sun Y M, Chu L Y. Positively K⁺-responsive membranes with functional gates driven by host-guest molecular recognition. Advanced Functional Materials, 2012, 22(22): 4742–4750

[36] Liu Z, Liu L, Ju X J, Xie R, Zhang B, Chu L Y K. K⁺-recognition capsules with squirting release mechanisms. Chemical Communications, 2011, 47(45): 12283–12285

[37] Mi P, Chu L Y, Ju X J, Niu C H. A smart polymer with ion-induced negative shift of the lower critical solution temperature for phase transition. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2008, 29(1): 27–32

[38] Jiang M Y, Ju X J, Fang L, Liu Z, Yu H R, Jiang L, Wang W, Xie R, Chen Q, Chu L Y. A novel, smart microsphere with K⁺-induced shrinking and aggregating properties based on a responsive host-guest system. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2014, 6(21): 19405–19415

[39] Mi P, Ju X J, Xie R, Wu H G, Ma J, Chu L Y. A novel stimuli-responsive hydrogel for K⁺-induced controlled-release. Polymer, 2010, 51(7): 1648–1653

[40] Liu Z, Wang W, Xie R, Ju X J, Chu L Y. Stimuli-responsive smart gating membranes. Chemical Society Reviews, 2016, 45(3): 460–475

[41] Liu Z, Ju X J, Huang Y H, Xie R, Wang W, Lee K R, Chu L Y. Diffusional permeability characteristics of positively K⁺-responsive membranes caused by spontaneously changing membrane pore size and surface wettability. Journal of Membrane Science, 2016, 497: 328–338

[42] Liu B, Chen C, Zhao P, Li T, Liu C, Wang Q, Chen Y, Crittenden J. Thin-film composite forward osmosis membranes with substrate layer composed of polysulfone blended with PEG or polysulfone grafted PEG methyl ether methacrylate. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2016, 10(4): 562–574

[43] Cadotte J E. US Patent, 4277344, 1981–07–07

[44] Liu B, Wang S, Zhao P, Liang H, Zhang W, Crittenden J. High-performance polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane: Role of thermal treatment. Applied Surface Science, 2018, 435: 415–423

[45] Puliyalil H, Slobodian P, Sedlacik M, Benlikaya R, Riha P, Ostrikov K, Cvelbar U. Plasma-enabled sensing of urea and related amides on polyaniline. Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering, 2016, 10(2): 265–272

[46] Young T H, Chen L W. A two step mechanism of diffusion-controlled ethylene vinyl alcohol membrane formation. Journal of Membrane Science, 1991, 57(1): 69–81

[47] Young T H, Chen L W. A diffusion-controlled model for wet-casting membrane formation. Journal of Membrane Science, 1991, 59(2): 169–181

[48] Du J R, Peldszus S, Huck P M, Feng X. Modification of poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membranes with poly(vinyl alcohol) for fouling control in drinking water treatment. Water Research, 2009, 43(18): 4559–4568

[49] Huang S H, Hsu C J, Liaw D J, Hu C C, Lee K R, Lai J Y. Effect of chemical structures of amines on physicochemical properties of active layers and dehydration of isopropanol through interfacially polymerized thin-film composite membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2008, 307(1): 73–81

[50] Klaysom C, Hermans S, Gahlaut A, Van Craenenbroeck S, Vankelecom I F J. Polyamide/polyacrylonitrile (PA/PAN) thin film composite osmosis membranes: Film optimization, characterization and performance evaluation. Journal of Membrane Science, 2013, 445: 25–33

[51] Liu M, Yao G, Cheng Q, Ma M, Yu S, Gao C. Acid stable thin-film composite membrane for nanofiltration prepared from naphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonylchloride (NTSC) and piperazine (PIP). Journal of Membrane Science, 2012, 415–416: 122–131

[52] Yu S, Ma M, Liu J, Tao J, Liu M, Gao C. Study on polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration membrane by interfacial polymerization of polyvinylamine (PVAm) and isophthaloyl chloride (IPC). Journal of Membrane Science, 2011, 379(1–2): 164–173

[53] Wu D, Yu S, Lawless D, Feng X. Thin film composite nanofiltration membranes fabricated from polymeric amine polyethylenimine imbedded with monomeric amine piperazine for enhanced salt separations. Reactive & Functional Polymers, 2015, 86: 168–183

[54] Tang B, Zou C, Wu P. Study on a novel polyester composite nanofiltration membrane by interfacial polymerization. II. The role of lithium bromide in the performance and formation of composite membrane. Journal of Membrane Science, 2010, 365(1–2): 276–285

[55] Zhao J, Su Y, He X, Zhao X, Li Y, Zhang R, Jiang Z. Dopamine composite nanofiltration membranes prepared by self-polymerization and interfacial polymerization. Journal of Membrane Science, 2014, 465: 41–48

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature