The Effect of TiO2 Particles Addition on The Characteristics of Polysulfone Membrane

The aim of this study was to characterize the modified Polysulfone-TiO₂ membrane via hydrophilic character, the molecular weight cutoff of the membrane and surface morphology of the membrane. Flat sheet modified Polysulfone membrane was prepared by using the phase inversion technique. N-methylene-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) was used as a solvent to dilute Polysulfone pellets. Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were added to enhance the hydrophobic character of the Polysulfone membrane. The hydrophilic characteristic of the modified Polysulfone-TiO₂ membrane was analyzed by contact angle and was compared with conventional Polysulfone membrane. It was found that the addition of TiO₂ in Polysulfone membrane has improved the hydrophilic performance of Polysulfone membrane toward water flux. The membranes also were tested with molecular weight cut off (MWCO) using different weights of polyethylene glycol (PEG) which are 200, 400, 600 and 1000 Da. For membrane with the addition of TiO₂, a decreased in pore sizeswas determined. The membranes also were analyzed under scanning electron microscope (SEM) in order to determine the morphology of the surface and cross-section. It was found that pore sizes of Polysulfone with TiO₂ membrane has become smaller, which contain more nano in size and formation of finger-like voids compared to the Polysulfone membrane.