The Bombay Technologist

Functionalization of Poly (Ether Sulfone) (PES) and Polysulfone (PSF) Membrane

Vivek Subramanian

Department of Polymer and Surface Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology

Omkar Gupte

Department of Polymer and Surface Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology

Keywords: Membrane, Functionalizing, Ultrafiltration, PES, PSf, UV-Assisted Graft Polymerization.

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Abstract

Functionalized PolyEtherSulfone (PES) and PolySulfone(PSf) membranes exhibit superior properties, but their permeability and retention remain same to certain extent. Numerous graft polymerization techniques have been developed for the modification of PolyEtherSulfone (PES) and Poly(Sulfone) (PSf) membranes. Modification of ultrafiltration membranes through graft polymerization of some selected molecules has been used to increase membrane surface hydrophilicity as a means of decreasing fouling during filtration. Desired membrane properties, such as higher solute retention, higher permeability, and lower propensity to fouling, can be obtained while maintaining desired membrane rejection. The modifications increase membrane stability and make their regeneration easier, unlike cellulose membranes. Some known techniques like UV-assisted graft polymerization using certain monomers were reviewed and conclusions based on the techniques and their results were made. The results showed that functionalizing the membranes with suitable monomers or molecules improved their filtering properties significantly.