Preparation of a Methylcellulose-graft-Methyl Methacrylate Copolymer as an Ultrafiltration Membrane Material

Abstract

A porous membrane was successfully prepared via the phase-inversion process from casting solutions consisting of a methylcellulose-graft-methyl methacrylate (MCMMA) copolymer, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The copolymer MCMMA was synthesized by cerium ion-initiated redox polymerization and then used in the preparation of ultrafiltration membranes. Successful graft copolymerization was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The grafting of methycellulose rendered the polymer soluble in organic solvents such as DMAc, which aided the preparation of the membrane dope solution. Membranes were fabricated with different proportions of PVP as the pore-forming agent, and bovine serum albumin rejection and resistance of the membranes to protein solutions were investigated. Thus, a novel membrane material is proposed for fabricating ultrafiltration membranes used in water treatment. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.