Effect of titania nanotubes on the flux and separation performance of polyethersulfone membranes

Abstract

The improvement of membrane performances in terms of separation and permeation is a constant research problem. In this study, polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fiber nanocomposite membranes were fabricated with titania nanotubes (TNT) synthesized via hydrothermal method used as inorganic filler to improve separation and membrane permeation. The membranes were prepared using dry/wet phase inversion process. The concentration of PES was fixed at 18% and TNT was added at concentration of 0.1% wt. The membranes were characterized in terms of pure water permeation rate (PWP), proteins (BSA) rejection, porosity and water contact angle. The results showed that addition of TNT improves the water flux and rejection rate as well as increasing hydrophilicity of the membrane. The flux of membrane is improved more than 20% while the rejection has been improved from 79% to 96%. The addition of TNT into the membrane matrix has shown that photocatalytic property can be introduced to a normal membrane.