Preparation of Filtration Membrane by Grafting of Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) onto Polyethersulfone and Its Influence on Pollution Resistance of Membrane

In this study, a new modified polymer by grafting poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) onto polyethersulfone was prepared. The polymerization was carried out in a homogenous phase by using N-methyl pyrrolidone as solvent. Crucial parameters affecting the graft copolymerization, such as monomer concentration and absorbed dose were studied. The existence of grafted chains was confirmed by FTIR spectroscopy. Pristine polyethersulfone and graft copolymer with different grafting degrees were then cast into membranes through phase inversion methodology. The contact angle of the membranes was measured to study transformation of the hydrophilic property on the surface. The cross-section morphology, thicknesses, water permeability, bovine serum albumin permeability and rejection of the membranes were studied. Finally, the membranes made of grafted copolymer (PES-g-PVP) showed an improvement of the antifouling property after BSA solution flux attenuation test.