Fabrication of Polyphenylsulfone Nanocomposite Membranes with SiO2 Nanoparticles Used in Pharmaceutical Industry

SiO2 nanoparticle were used in aPolyphenylsulfone (PPSU) matrix to obtain nanofiltration membranes used in the pharmaceutical sector to remove pollutants from the water processes. In this study was investigated the influence of SiO2 nanoparticles on the PPSU membranes performance at different concentration of polymer and at six different concentrations of SiO2. Adding SiO2 like additive in the PPSU membrane matrix, the permeability increases due to the higher porosity. Increasing the polymer concentration, the pores are smaller and the permeation properties are decreasing. The affinity for water of membrane surface is higher when nanoparticles are added in the polymer matrix. Adding 0.3 wt.% SiO2 the permeation properties are increasing with more than 10% in comparison with membranes without nanoparticles.