Preparation and Characterization of Ion Exchange Resin Mixed Polyethersulfone Hybrid Membranes

Ion exchange resin (IER) mixed polyethersulfone (PES) hybrid membranes were prepared by a phase inversion method, using polyethyleneglycol-400 (PEG-400) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as additives. Two different types of resin, D201 and D061, were incorporated into polyethersulfone dope solution separately with intention of producing highly permeable and hydrophilic membranes. The effect of filler on morphology, pure water permeation, and rejection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated. It was found that the morphology of hybrid membranes showed a typical asymmetry structure. The amount of IER, the concentration of additives and the temperature of coagulation bath showed to be powerful factors to influence the pore size and pure water flux. Membranes prepared from a solution containing PES concentrations from 13wt% to 15wt%, the pure water flux decreased from 244.6 to 97.5 L/(m2•h). And PVP could serve as an additive to render the hybrid membrane hydrophilic. High values of BSA rejection capacity were performed by the resin mixed polyethersulfone hybrid membranes.