High Performance Microfiltration Composite Membranes Based on Phenolphthalein Poly(ether sulfone) Nanofibrous Substrate with Hydrophilic Coating.

In the present paper, Phenolphthalein poly(ether sulfone) (PES-C) nanofibrous membranes were prepared via solution-blowing technology and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) which would be converted to stable gels by reaction with potassium persulfate (K₂S₂O) was immobilized on the surface of nanofibers. The influence factors such as PVP concentration and depositing time were optimized to obtain the composite nanofibrous membranes. The membranes were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Water contact angles (WCA), etc. The hydrophilicity of the composite membrane was significantly enhanced by immobilizing Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) on the surface of nanofibers. Furthermore the filtration experiment of starch suspension and oil-water separation test were executed and the anti-fouling properties of the modified membranes were evaluated with the flux recovery ratio (FRR%). The results showed that membranes with PVPP-modified had a more excellent and stability antifouling performances compared with the original membranes. Generally, this work provides a simple and useful method to improve anti-fouling properties of PES-C nanofibrous membranes which had great potential application in microfiltration.