Correlation of the polymer hydrophilicity and membrane fabrication process on the properties of asymmetric membranes in a vapor-induced phase-inversion process

In this study, we sought a better understanding of how the hydrophilicity of a polymer affects the morphology and performance of membranes. Three types of polymer with different hydrophilicity solution systems were considered: poly(aryl ether ketone) bearing a hydroxyl group (PEK–OH-100) with N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF); poly(aryl ether ketone) bearing a 50% fraction hydroxyl group with DMF, and cardo poly(aryl ether ketone) with DMF. These systems were used to investigate the evolution of the morphology and variation in performance versus a change in the hydrophilicity of the polymer. In addition, the fundamental thermodynamic influence of the solution systems on the phase-inversion process was investigated by cloud-point measurement and Hansen solubility parameter theory to determine the role of polymer hydrophilicity on the stability of the polymer solution in humid surroundings. The performance of the membranes was tested via testing of the pure water flux, porosity, and rejection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with respect to variations in the polymer hydrophilicity, evaporation time, relative humidity, and molecular weight of the polymer. The resulting optimal membrane exhibited a flux of 329.3 L m−2 h−1 and a 99.3% rejection of BSA at a relative humidity of 90% and an evaporation time of 3 s. The hydrophilic PEK–OH-100 membranes have promising applications in protein separation and the porous support of reverse-osmosis membranes and so on. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44701.