Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.37, No.6, 1021-1029, 2014
Effect of Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) on Antifouling Properties of Asymmetric Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) Membranes
Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (EVAL/PVP) blend membranes with antifouling properties were prepared by nonsolvent induced phase separation. Residual PVP in the sample was calculated by infrared spectroscopic data and confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of residual PVP on hydrophilicity and permeation characteristics of the membranes was evaluated. Porosity and equilibrium water content of the membranes were influenced by the addition of PVP. The effect of protein fouling on flux using bovine serum albumin as a model system was studied in detail. The residual PVP content could enhance the antifouling property of the membrane. All membranes proved to have sufficient mechanical strength to withstand pressure-driven filtrations.