Characteristics of Porous Anion-Exchange Membranes Prepared by Cografting of Glycidyl Methacrylate with Divinylbenzene

Porous anion-exchange membranes of a flat-sheet form were prepared by cografting of an epoxy group containing monomer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and a cross-linker, divinylbenzene (DVB), onto a porous polyethylene membrane, followed by the introduction of a diethylamino (DEA) group. A monomer mixture of GMA and DVB containing 1−10 mol % of DVB provided a DVB-cross-linked graft chain ranging from 15 to 45 mol % of DVB. After the introduction of the DEA group, the swelling of the membrane in water was reduced. The results of determinations of protein binding capacity and the elution percentage of bovine serum albumin (BSA) demonstrated that the GMA/DVB graft chains hinder protein binding in the multilayer and capture the protein via a hydrophobic interaction. The stability of the size of the DVB-cross-linked anion-exchange membrane was proven.