Spinning of Polysulfone Hollow Fiber Membranes Using Constant Dope Solution Composition: Viscosity Control via Temperature

Abstract

The dope solution viscosity is an important parameter that largely determines the properties of hollow fiber membranes. In the literature available today, the change in viscosity is carried out only by changing the quantitative and/or qualitative dope solution compositions. However, such an important spinning parameter as temperature should significantly affect the dope solution viscosity. For the first time, the influence of the dope solution viscosity of a constant composition on polysulfone hollow fiber membrane properties was studied. The hollow fiber membranes were obtained by the phase separation method induced by a non-solvent (NIPS). The change in the dope solution temperature was carried out in the temperature range of 17–27 °C, providing a dope solution viscosity range of 34.3–21.6 Pa∙s. This work shows that even in such a narrow temperature range, the properties of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes change significantly. With a decrease in the viscosity in this temperature range, the wall thickness of the hollow fiber membrane decreases by 2.8 times; the permeance for the individual gases He and CO2 increases by 1.6–1.8 times, respectively; the ideal selectivity decreases by 1.12 times; the mean flow pore size increases by 1.63 times; and the surface porosity increases about 3 times.