Application of Cyclized Polyacrylonitrile for Ultrafiltration Membrane Fouling Mitigation

Abstract

In this study, novel composites were produced by blending partially cyclized polyacrylonitrile (cPAN) and poly(amide-imide) (PAI) in N-methylpyrrolidone in order to fabricate asymmetric membranes via phase inversion method. The compatibility of PAI and cPAN through possible intermolecular interaction was examined by quantum chemical calculations. The composite membranes were characterized by FTIR, SEM, contact angle measurements, etc. A considerable reduction in the contact angles of water and ethylene glycol (EG) was observed after adding cPAN to the PAI membrane, which is evidence of improved membrane hydrophilicity. Membrane transport properties were investigated in ultrafiltration tests by measuring the pure water flux, rejection of proteins, and flux recovery ratio (FRR). The best properties were found for the membrane containing 5 wt% cPAN; an increase in BSA rejection and a remarkable increase in FRR were observed, which can be explained by the hydrophilization of the membrane surface provided by the presence of cPAN.

Enhancing oil–water emulsion separation using improved styrene–acrylonitrile copolymer membrane: Experimental and thermodynamic study of the impact of solvent mixtures

“…As seen in Figure 13 blockage of the pores in the membrane structure. 33,34 Therefore, the decrease in flux in the cycles attributed to the pores blockage. 14,17 Fouling is the reversible or irreversible accumulation of substances on the surface or inside the membrane.…”

“…C20-0 membrane, despite having a similar pore size to the C20-50 membrane, exhibits higher oil rejection because of its higher fouling. 32,33 To check the flux reduction of the fabricated membrane and its antifouling property, the filtration process was used at constant pressure in continuous cycles. In this method, first, the filtration test was F I G U R E 1 2 Impact of solvent mixture on oil rejection during microfiltration using oilwater emulsion with 20%wt of SAN30 copolymer.…”

“…In addition, by reducing the water contact angle of the membrane, the flux recovery ratio increases. 32,33 As approaches an equal ratio of solvents, there is a decrease in the irreversible fouling of the membrane and an increase in the flux recovery ratio. An increase in the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface indeed leads to a decrease in the adhesive force between the surface and precipitants.…”

Design and Fabrication of Membranes Based on PAN Copolymer Obtained from Solutions in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide

“…In recent decades, due to the increasing environmental requirements, there has been a reverse transition to natural polymers [ 7 , 8 ] and systems using nontoxic solvents [ 9 ]. In the case of synthetic polymers, polyacrylonitrile and its copolymers (PANs) are currently attracting great attention [ 10 , 11 ]. The structure and chemical structure of PAN limit the number of potential direct solvents and provide one of the main properties of future membranes from these polymers, namely, high chemical resistance [ 12 , 13 , 14 ].…”

All-Polymer Piezo-Composites for Scalable Energy Harvesting and Sensing Devices

“…Elastoplastic behavior of the composite films under cyclic stress loads; Figure S6. Dielectric properties of the composite samples with 5 wt% polyimide compared with reference samples in normal conditions at room temperature (a), atmosphere saturated with water vapors (b), and after immersion in distilled water (c) [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ].…”