NAMS 2002 Workshop - ICOM 2008

Membrane and Surface Modification I – 5
Tuesday July 15, 4:30 PM-5:00 PM, Wai’anae
Crosslinked Poly(ethylene oxide) Fouling Resistant Coating Materials:
Synthesis, Characterization, and Application
H. Ju (Presenting), University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
B. McCloskey, University of Texas at Austin , Austin, Texas, USA
A. Sagle, University of Texas at Austin , Austin, Texas, USA
B. Freeman, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA – freeman@che.utexs.edu
Various crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (XLPEGDA) materials were
synthesized via free-radical photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol)
diacrylate (PEGDA) solutions. These materials have potential as fouling-resistant
coatings for commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. PEGDA chain length
(n=10~45) and water content in the prepolymerization mixture (0~80 wt.%) were
varied in synthesizing the XLPEGDA materials, and their water transport ability
and solute sieving properties were characterized. Water permeability increased
with increasing water content in the prepolymerization mixture and with
increasing PEGDA chain length. However, solute rejection decreased with
increasing prepolymerization water content or PEGDA chain length. Finally, the
fouling resistance of XLPEGDA materials was evaluated with static protein
adhesion experiments, and less BSA accumulated onto XLPEGDA surfaces
when the film was prepared at higher prepolymerization water content or using
longer PEGDA chains. When XLPEGDA materials were applied to polysulfone
(PSF) UF membranes to form coatings on the surface of the PSF membranes,
the coated PSF membranes had water flux values 400% higher than that of an
uncoated PSF membrane after 24 hours of operation, and the coated
membranes had higher organic rejection than the uncoated membranes in
oil/water crossflow filtration experiments.