Performance investigation of hydrophilic regenerated cellulose ultrafiltration membranes with excellent anti-fouling property via hydrolysis technology

To obtain ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with excellent separation performances and antifouling properties, regenerated cellulose (RC) membranes with intrinsic hydrophilicity and dense structures immensely attract the attention of researchers. Herein, a novel modified RC membrane, which has high water permeability and antifouling capability, is prepared using cellulose acetate (CA) via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and green hydrolysis technology. The as-prepared membranes were investigated comprehensively by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses and protein adsorption, etc. As a result, the RC membranes showed higher hydrophilicity (WCA=25.95°), thus they possessed a lower protein adsorption value of 1.9 ± 0.1 μg/cm2. The filtration performances were evaluated by bovine serum albumin (BSA) and endotoxin separation with dead-end filtration system. The results exhibited greater selectivity of RC membranes that BSA rejection over 98% and endotoxin remove below 0.25 EU/mL, and excellent anti-fouling properties that the flux recovery rate (FRR) over 95% and even as high as 100%. Simultaneously, the common polyethersulfone (PES) composite membranes were prepared via NIPS technology, and comprehensively compared with RC membranes to provide a theoretical basis for the practical application of RC membranes in pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries.