Photo-induced grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) onto polyamide thin film composite membranes

摘要

In this study, the surface grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) onto commercial polyamide thin film composite (TFC-PA) membranes was carried out, using ultraviolet photo-induced graft polymerization method. The attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectra verify a successful grafting of PEG onto the TFC-PA membrane surface. The scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope analyses demonstrate the changes of the membrane surface morphology due to the formation of the PEG-grafted layer on the top. The contact angle measurements illustrate the increased hydrophilicity of the TFC-PA-g-PEG membrane surfaces, with a significantly reduced water contact angles compared to the unmodified one. Consequently, the separation performance of the PEG-grafted membranes is highly improved, with a significant enhancement of flux at a great retention for removal of the different objects in aqueous feed solutions. In addition, the antifouling property of the modified membranes is also clearly improved, with the higher maintained flux ratios and the lower irreversible fouling factors compared to the unmodified membrane. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45454.