SY NOPSlSAtomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the surface structure and morphology of 10,000, 30,000, and 100,000 dalton molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) polyethersulfone ( PES) ultrafiltration membranes, and the results are compared. Although both approaches reveal the pore structure in the 30,000 and 100,000 MWCO membranes, the pore diameters derived from SEM are smaller than those measured by AFM. This discrepancy is a result of the diminution in pore dimensions during the sample preparation for SEM, that is, the solvent exchange procedure needed to remove the water from the membrane prior to the high vacuum gold coating deposition step. In contrast to SEM, which requires a high vacuum both during heavy metal coating and during examination, AFM can be performed on wet ultrafiltration membranes. Consequently, the potential of altering the membranes' pore structures during sample preparation is eliminated. Therefore, the pore diameters obtained from AFM are more accurate than those derived from SEM.

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SYNOPSISThe surface topography and pore structure of ultrafiltration membranes can be investigated with atomic force microscopy. In this study, it was found that the substitution of ethanol for water as the immersion medium improved the resolution of the fine structure of 10K polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes. Pores in the membrane surface from 7 to 9 nm in diameter were measured, which coincides with the range expected for 10,000 molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) ultrafiltration membranes. It is believed that this image enhancement results from increased damping and concomitant noise reduction resulting from the higher viscosity of ethanol in contrast to water.

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