Preparation and Characterization of Polysulfone Composite Membrane Blended with Kenaf Cellulose Fibrils

Abstract

Polysulfone (PSF) is widely used material for ultrafiltration (UF) membranes, which has outstanding mechanical properties, great chemical resistance, good thermal stability and wide pH operation range. The hydrophobic property of the PSF membrane seriously limits its application. Hence, blending with hydrophilic material as additives such as cellulose have been intensively studied to improve the hydrophilicity of membranes. Cellulose fibrils are composed of nano-sized elements, which have high hydrophilicity, strength, and biodegradation. A composite membrane was prepared by the phase inversion induced by an immersion process. The characteristics of the composite membrane were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM). The pure water flux of the composite membrane increased dramatically with the increase of cellulose fibrils. Mean pore size and porosity were significantly increased. Both mechanical properties and hydrophilicity were enhanced due to the addition of the cellulose fibrils.