Effects of coagulation bath temperature on performances of polyethersulfone membranes modified by nanosilver particles in situ reduction

In this work, an in situ reduction method was used to prepare nanosilver-modified polyethersulfone (PES-Ag) ultrafiltration membranes by mixing up the reducing agent ethylene glycol and the protective agent polyvinylpyrrolidone to reduce AgNO3 in the casting solution. The effects of coagulation bath temperature (CBT) on the separation performances, antifouling property, tensile strength, and stability of the nanosilver particles were researched. The results indicated that when the PES-Ag membranes were prepared in 40 degrees C coagulation bath, the loss rate of nanosilver particles during preparation was minimum, only 18.5%. With the CBT increasing from 20 to 60 degrees C, the water flux of the PES and PES-Ag membranes increased, whereas the rejection rate decreased. The largest flux reached 471 Lm(-2)h(-1) for PES-Ag membranes prepared at 60 degrees C and the rejection was over 90%. The results of contact angle and flux recovery ratio showed that PES-Ag membranes had better hydrophilicity and antifouling property. Furthermore, the PES-Ag membranes could inhibit Escherichia coli from growing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. (c) 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers