Comparison of redox initiated graft polymerisation and sulfonation for hydrophilisation of polyethersulfone nanofiltration membranes

Three polyethersulfone nanofiltration membranes, including two commercial membranes (NFPES10 and N30F) and one lab-made membrane (N71), were hydrophilised in view of an increased water flux and a reduction of membrane fouling. Non-modified as well as modified membranes were characterized using contact angle measurements, water fluxes and retention of sugars. At first, redox initiated graft polymerization was applied, and the influence of reaction time, initiator concentration and monomer concentration were investigated. It was observed that grafting always resulted in a significant reduction of the contact angle. The higher the reaction time, the lower was the contact angle, but the initiator and monomer concentration had no effect when above a threshold value. Grafting results in a decrease of the water flux, while the retention of raffinose increased. A comparison was made with the addition of sulfonated polyethersulfone to the polymer solution. By blending polyethersulfone and sulfonated polyethersulfon, a sufficiently high viscosity could be achieved. The influence of the blending ratio was investigated. The larger the fraction of sulfonated polyethersulfon, the more hydrophilic the membrane became. The addition of sulfonated polyethersulfon, however, has also an influence on the water flux and on the retention of sugars. An important conclusion is also that the membranes containing sulfonated polyethersulfone are significantly more hydrophilic than the ones that have been modified through the grafting technique.