Uncovering the effect of poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) molecular weight and vinyl alcohol content on morphology, antifouling, and permeation properties of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane: thermodynamic and formation hydrodynamic behavior

Abstract

Various hydrophilic poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) were used herein to precisely control the structure and hydrodynamic properties of polysulfone (PSF) membranes. Particularly, to prepare pristine PSF and PSF/EVOH blends with increasing vinyl alcohol (VOH: 73%, 68%, 56%), the non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) technique was used. Polyethylene glycol was used as a compatibilizer and as a porogen in N,N-dimethylacetamide. Rheological and ultrasonic separation kinetic measurements were also carried out to develop an ultrafiltration membrane mechanism. The extracted membrane properties and filtration capabilities were systematically compared to the proposed mechanism. Accordingly, the addition of EVOH led to an increase in the rheology of the dopes. The resulting membranes exhibited a microporous structure, while the finger-like structures became more evident with increasing VOH content. The PSF/EVOH behavior was changed from immediate to delayed segregation due to a change in the hydrodynamic kinetics. Interestingly, the PSF/EVOH32 membranes showed high hydrophilicity and achieved a pure water permeability of 264 L·m^–2·h^–1·bar^–1, which was higher than that of pure PSF membranes (171 L·m^–2·h^–1·bar^–1). In addition, PSF/EVOH32 rejected bovine serum albumin at a high rate (> 90%) and achieved a significant restoration of permeability. Finally, from the thermodynamic and hydrodynamic results, valuable insights into the selection of hydrophilic copolymers were provided to tailor the membrane structure while improving both the permeability and antifouling performance.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

polysulfone / blend modification / ultrafiltration membrane / formation hydrodynamics / poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) copolymer

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Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts to declare.

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 22278318 and 21878230). Sania Kadanyo would also like to thank the China Scholarship Council (CSC) for their generous support and Mr. Sean Andersen from the University of Melbourne for his kind assistance.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-023-2331-y and is accessible for authorized users.

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