Preparation of ultrafiltration membrane by newly synthesized AMC polymer

Abstract

Water-soluble methyl cellulose was acetylated to use as a hydrophilic membrane material. The acetylation was preceded under mild conditions to keep a high molecular weight. Acetylation could be confirmed by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Acetylated methyl cellulose (AMC) membrane could be successfully fabricated by an immersion precipitation method. Various additives were added in a polymeric solution to control the pore size and cross-sectional structure. Using 1,4-dioxane and acetone as additives changed the membrane morphology from finger-like structure to sponge-like structure. A membrane fouling test was conducted by using protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). The membrane-fouling of the AMC membrane was compared with that of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The AMC membrane showed much better fouling resistance against protein than the PVDF membrane.