Improving Hydrophilicity and Protein Resistance of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Membranes by Blending with Amphiphilic Hyperbranched-Star Polymer

Abstract

To endow hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes with reliable hydrophilicity and protein resistance, an amphiphilic hyperbranched-star polymer (HPE-g-MPEG) with about 12 hydrophilic arms in each molecule was synthesized by grafting methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (MPEG) to the hyperbranched polyester (HPE) molecule using terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) as the coupling agent and blended with PVDF to fabricate porous membranes via phase inversion process. The chemical composition changes of the membrane surface were confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the membrane morphologies were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Water contact angle, static protein adsorption, and filtration experiments were used to evaluate the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling properties of the membranes. It was found that MPEG segments of HPE-g-MPEG enriched at the membrane surface substantially, while the water contact angle decreased as low as 49 degrees for the membrane with a HPE-g-MPEG/PVDF ratio of 3/10. More importantly, the water contact angle of the blend membrane changed little after being leached continuously in water at 60 degrees C for 30 days, indicating a quite stable presence of HPE-g-MPEG in the blend membranes. Furthermore, the blend membranes showed lower static protein adsorption, higher water and protein solution fluxes, and better water flux recovery after cleaning than the pure PVDF membrane.

Recent progress in developing advanced membranes for emulsified oil/water separation

“…Their results demonstrated that the antifouling property of the membrane was improved greatly, whereas the membrane structure was little affected. Since then, many amphiphilic copolymers, such as tri-block, 49 comb-like 50 and branched copolymers, 51 have been used as additives to blend with host polymers to produce composite membranes with enhanced antifouling properties. Among these copolymers, ternary copolymers containing a hydrophobic 'anchoring' segment, hydrophilic fouling resistance segment or nonpolar hydrophobic segment with low surface free energy have received much attention because of their excellent complicated structure.…”

Preparation and characterization of hydrophilic and antifouling poly(ether sulfone) ultrafiltration membranes modified with Zn–Al layered double hydroxides

“…48 Protein Adsorption onto Membranes Membrane fouling can be caused by various undesired interactions, such as electrostatic attraction, van der Waals interactions, and hydrogen bonding, between the membrane materials and typical colloids (e.g., proteins or oil droplets in water). 49,50 Here, we examined the antifouling properties of the PES membranes using static protein adsorption experiments with BSA and LYS as model proteins. The adsorbed amounts of BSA and LYS for virgin and modified PES membranes are presented in Figure 9.…”

The biocompatability of mesoporous inorganic–organic hybrid resin films with ionic and hydrophilic characteristics

“…The nonspecifically adsorbed proteins, as well as the adherence of microorganisms are known to induce adverse biological responses which interfere with medical device function, as is often the case with contact and intraocular lenses, blood contacting devices, bacteria-resistant implants and surgical tools [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Therefore, the prevention of such the protein adsorptions and the bacterial adherence are the major issues for successful implantation of biomaterials.…”