Pore morphology control and hydrophilicity of polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes

The effects of different solvents (dimethyl formamide: DMF and dimethylsulfoxide: DMSO) on the solubility of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) were investigated by the phase diagrams of H₂O/DMF/PAN and H₂O/DMSO/PAN ternary systems through cloud‐point titration method at low polymer concentration. The influences of polymer concentrations and temperatures on the morphologies of PAN ultrafiltration membranes were elucidated. The morphologies of fabricated UF membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM), and the basic performance of ultrafiltration including pure water flux and rejection of BSA were explored. At 25°C, the pure water flux of ultrafiltration membranes at the lower PAN content (16 wt % PAN in 84 wt % DMSO) reached 213.8 L/m/bar and the rejection of BSA was 100%. Interestingly, the water flux of UF membranes dramatically decreased to 20.6 L/m/bar (20 wt %) and 2.9 L/m/bar (24 wt %) when increasing PAN concentrations in DMSO. On the other hand, the hydrophilicity of membranes can be enhanced by increasing coagulation temperatures and polymer concentrations which were characterized by static contact angle, fitting well with the variation tendency of roughness. Although there are many works concerning on the effects of phase inversion conditions on the performance of PAN UF membranes, to our best knowledge, there is seldom works focusing on investigating the membrane hydrophilicity trend by adjusting phase inversion conditions. To disclose the reason of the enhanced hydrophilicity, the water and glycol contact angles of various membranes were measured and the surface tensions were presented. The results illustrated that the enhanced hydrophilicity of PAN UF membranes fabricated at higher temperatures or higher polymer concentrations was due to the higher polarity on membrane surface. Since the vast majority of ultrafiltration membranes in labs and in industrial scale have been fabricated by immersion phase inversion method, this work can provide a guidance to obtain hydrophilic PAN UF membranes by adjusting the process of phase inversion. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41991.     

Influence of additives on the morphology of PVDF membranes based on phase diagram: Thermodynamic and experimental study

In the present study, the morphology of asymmetric poly(vinylidene fluoride) blend membranes which were prepared by the phase inversion method is rationalized by comparing two non‐dimensional number represent thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the prepared membrane. These two parameters change phase diagram and demixing rate between solvent and nonsolvent. TiO₂ nanoparticles and polyvinylpyrrolidone were used as additives. Hansen solubility parameters of the components are calculated by Van Krevelen method. Furthermore, kinetic and thermodynamic properties of the prepared solutions are determined by drawing phase diagrams and controlling mass transfer rate during precipitation of casting solution. Besides, to further analyze different tests encompass; permeability, rejection, porosity, pore size determination, contact angle, and field emission scanning electron microscopy images were carried out. It is shown, additives as pore former induced higher permeability and porosity, however, at higher concentration of additives high viscosity obstacle mass transfer and sponge‐like morphology is obtained. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46225.     

PEEKWC ultrafiltration hollow‐fiber membranes: Preparation,morphology, and transport properties

A series of hollow‐fiber membranes was produced by the dry–wet spinning method from PEEKWC, a modified poly(ether ether ketone) with good mechanical, thermal, and chemical resistance. The fibers were prepared under different spinning conditions, varying the following spinning parameters: polymer concentration in the spinning solution, height of the air gap, and bore fluid composition. The effect of these parameters on the water permeability, the rejection of macromolecules (using dextrane with an average molecular weight of 68,800 g/mol), and the morphology of the membranes was studied. The results were also correlated to the viscosity of the spinning solution and to the ternary polymer/solvent/nonsolvent phase diagram. The morphology of the cross section and internal and external surfaces of the hollow fibers were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). All membranes were shown to have a fingerlike void structure and a skin layer, depending on the spinning conditions, varying from (apparently) dense to porous. Pore size measurements by the bubble‐point method showed maximum pore sizes ranging from 0.3 to 2 μm. Permeability varied from 300 to 1000 L/(h^?1 m^?2 bar) and rejection to the dextrane from 10 to 78%. The viscosity of polymer solutions was in the range of 0.2 to 3.5 Pa s. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 841–853, 2004     

Polysulfone/zinc oxide nanoparticle mixed matrix membranes for CO2/CH4 separation

Preparation and characterization of novel polysulfone/zinc oxide (PSf/ZnO) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with different ZnO loadings for high selective CO₂/CH₄ separation were aimed in this study. Scanning electron microscopy photographs demonstrated that spongy and small tear like pores in plain PSf membrane (0 wt % of ZnO) replaced with large tear like pores close to surface layer by increasing ZnO content up to 0.1 and 1 wt %. In contrast, a dense and less free volume structure was obtained in membranes having 3 and 5 wt % of ZnO. Membrane porosity increased from 28.68 to 50.51% with increasing ZnO content from 0 to 1 wt %. Then, a reduction in porosity was observed for membranes containing 3 and 5 wt % of ZnO. Atomic force microscopy images presented variation in membrane surface roughness. Surface roughness decreased from 67.64 nm for plain PSf to 47.86 nm for membrane containing 1 wt % of ZnO. While, surface roughness increased and reached to 115.5 and 122.4 nm for MMMs having 3 and 5 wt % of ZnO. Gas separation properties of PSf/ZnO MMMs were examined and CO₂/CH₄ selectivity of MMMs containing 3 and 5 wt % of ZnO were 22.29 and 54.29, respectively, in 1 bar feed pressure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39745.     

Effects of phenylenediamines and alkoxysilanes on gas transport properties of polyimide - silica hybrid membranes

Gas transport properties of polyimides (PIs) and their silica hybrids were investigated. The PIs synthesized with several methyl-substituted phenylenediamines were hybridized with silica via a sol–gel process with different alkoxysilanes. The prepared hybrid membranes showed controlled gas permselectivity, depending on the selected phenylenediamines and alkoxysilanes. It was worth noting that the hybrids prepared with tetraethoxysilane possessed improved CO₂ permselectivity with increasing silica content, which tended to exceed the upper-bound trade-off line. This fact suggested the additional formation of free volume holes especially favorable for the CO₂/CH₄ separation around the polymer/silica interfacial area.     

Preparation and monovalent selective properties of multilayer polyelectrolyte modified cation‐exchange membranes

This study reports the modification of commercial cation‐exchange membrane by layer‐by‐layer adsorption of polyethyleneimine and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) to endow them with monovalent ion selectivity. The chemical and morphological changes of the modified membrane surface were examined by ATR‐FTIR and SEM, respectively. The permselectivity for monovalent cations of the membranes was investigated by electrodialysis experiments. The effects of deposited bilayer number, the salt concentration, and pH of the dipping polyelectrolyte solutions on selectivity were investigated. Meanwhile, the resistance of membranes was measured taking energy consumption into consideration. The polyelectrolyte multilayer was crosslinked using epichlorohydrin to improve stability, and the durability of the composite membrane was studied. Separation mechanism of the composite membrane was also investigated. It is demonstrated that the bivalent cations are mainly rejected by electrostatic repulsion from the positive charge on the surface of the composite membranes. The sieving effect of the dense structure of skin layer becomes more pronounced with the number of deposited layers increased. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41488.     

Polypropylene membranes modified with interpenetrating polymer networks for the removal of chromium ions

Polypropylene (PP) membranes incorporating poly[(ar‐vinylbenzyl) trimethylammonium chloride] P(ClVBTA), and poly[sodium (styrene sulfonate)] P(SSNa) were modified via an “in situ” radical polymerization synthesis. Two methods were used for impregnation of the reactive solution: pressure injection and plasma superficial activation with argon gas. The following conditions were varied: the monomer concentrations, number of injections, and cross‐linked concentration. The modified polypropylene membranes were then characterized using scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy, electrokinetic potential, and Donnan dialysis for the chromium ions transport. The modified membranes exhibited a hydrophilic character with a water uptake capacity between 15% and 20% and a percent modification between 2.5% and 4.0%. This was compared with the results of an unmodified polypropylene membrane as the blank and the mentioned polypropylene membrane has not the capacity to uptake water because this kind of material is highly hydrophobic. Hexavalent chromium ions were efficiently transported by the modified membranes containing P(ClVBTA) via a plasma method and it achieved 59.2% extraction at pH 9.0 using a 1‐mol L^?1 NaCl extraction agent. Therefore, unmodified polypropylene membrane shows an extraction percentage close to 10% from the hexavalent chromium ions at pH 9.0. In the same way, the trivalent chromium transport using membranes modified with P(SSNa) achieved 49.0% extraction at pH 2.0 using 1 × 10^?1 mol L^?1 HNO₃ and 1 mol L^?1 NaCl as the extraction agents. Moreover, the unmodified polypropylene membrane reached a value close to 10% from the trivalent chromium ions using 1 × 10^?1 mol L^?1 HNO₃ and 1 mol L^?1 NaCl. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41953.     

Preparation and application of zinc oxide/poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) hybrid ultrafiltration membranes

A small molecular-weight cut-off (MWCO) of 6000 Da poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) embedded zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was synthesized via nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS). Tests of field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), capillary flow porometer (CPF), mechanical test, and pure water flux (PWF) for characterization of membranes were carried out. The EDX, FTIR, and TGA indicated the presence of ZnO in the polymer matrix. The hybrid membranes showed enhanced pore density, PWF by the presence of the particles. The contact angle and water flux of modified membrane with 0.03 wt % of nano-ZnO were 47.7° and 52.58 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ compared to 71.6° and 36.27 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ respectively; Compared with the hydrophobic membrane, the PMIA membrane, with hydrophilicity, is supposed to exhibit good antifouling properties. Furthermore, the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the modified membranes were increased. Finally, the hybrid membrane was used in treating papermaking white wastewater and exhibited good separation and high water flux. The great properties of the ultrafiltration PMIA membranes indicate their potential for excellent performance in industrial applications. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47583.     

Separation of CO2 from CH4 by pure PSF and PSF/PVP blend membranes: Effects of type of nonsolvent,solvent, and PVP concentration

Complete CO₂/CH₄ gas separation was aimed in this study. Accordingly, asymmetric neat polysulfone (PSF) and PSF/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) blend membranes were prepared by wet/wet phase inversion technique. The effects of two different variables such as type of external nonsolvent and type of solvent on morphology and gas separation ability of neat PSF membranes were examined. Moreover, the influence of PVP concentration on structure, thermal properties, and gas separation properties of PSF/PVP blend membrane were tested. The SEM results presented the variation in membrane morphology in different membrane preparation conditions. Atomic forced microscopic images displayed that surface roughness parameters increased significantly in higher PVP loading and then gas separation properties of membrane improved. Thermal gravimetric analysis confirms higher thermal stability of membrane in higher PVP loading. Differential scanning calorimetric results prove miscibility and compatibility of PSF and PVP in the blend membrane. The permeation results indicate that, the CO₂ permeance through prepared PSF membrane reached the maximum (275 ± 1 GPU) using 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as a solvent and butanol (BuOH) as an external nonsolvent. While, a higher CO₂/CH₄ selectivity (5.75 ± 0.1) was obtained using N‐N‐dimethyl‐acetamide (DMAc) as a solvent and propanol (PrOH) as an external nonsolvent. The obtained results show that PSF/PVP blend membrane containing 10 wt % of PVP was able to separate CO₂ from CH₄ completely up to three bar as feed pressure. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 1139‐1147, 2013     

Comparative analysis of the processes of collagen concentration by ultrafiltration using different types of membranes

Tangential flow filtration of the collagen protein solutions with a molecular weight 12, 14, and 24 kDa is investigated using flat sheet membranes. The effects of tangential ultrafiltration (UF) on the permeate properties using two regenerated celluloses (RCs) and two polyethersulfone (PES) membranes with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 5 and 10 kDa are reported. The permeate and concentrate obtained in the UF experiments are characterized from a physical–chemical point of view by determining the temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, nitrogen content, and protein concentration. In addition, the experimental data are modeled using Hermia's model. The UF experiments demonstrated that permeate flux declined with increasing molecular weight of collagen at constant concentration (1%). Regardless of the molecular weight of collagen, the rejections decrease in the following order: PES 5 kDa > RC5kDa > RC10kDa > PES10kDa. In case of membrane with higher MWCO, the clogging phenomenon is mainly due to the blockage of the internal pores of the membrane than the formation of a polarization layer. Morphologies and characteristics of the membranes are characterized using scanning electron microscopy.     

Fabrication of ordered microporous styrene‐acrylonitrile copolymer blend imprinted membranes for selective adsorption of phenol from salicylic acid using breath figure method

Highly selective, ordered microporous molecularly imprinted membranes (MIMs) for phenol were synthesized by breath figure (BF) method using styrene‐acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN) as the membrane matrix and molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nano‐MIPs) as the imprinted nanoparticles. The nano‐MIPs were synthesized by oil‐in‐water emulsion polymerization using 4‐vinyl pyridine (4‐VP), methyl methacrylate (MMA) or cinnamic acid (CA) as the functional monomer, respectively. The prepared nano‐MIPs were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Raman, whereas MIMs were characterized by SEM, membrane flux, and selective adsorption experiments. Morphological analysis exhibited that the addition of nano‐MIPs improved the formation of ordered and well‐defined porous membrane morphology. Compared with MMA‐MIM and CA‐MIM, the 4‐VP‐MIM exhibited higher membrane flux, adsorption capacity, and stronger selective binding for phenol as well as excellent permeation selectivity for phenol. Moreover, the selective effect of 4‐VP‐MIM on phenol was strongly affected by the amount of 4‐VP imprinted nanoparticles (nano‐4‐VP‐MIPs). The experimental data revealed that the 4‐VP‐MIM containing 2.0 wt % of nano‐4‐VP‐MIPs exhibited the highest separation selectivity for the template phenol, whose selectivity coefficients for phenol relative to salicylic acid (SA) and p‐hydroxybenzoic acid (p‐HB) were 5.6770 and 5.5433, respectively, which was close to the predicted selectivity coefficient value. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42350.     

Enhanced gas separation properties of metal organic frameworks/polyetherimide mixed matrix membranes

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are supposed to be ideal additives for mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). In this article one kind of MOFs, Cu₃(BTC)₂, is synthesized, then directly incorporated into a model polymer (Ultem®1000) using N,N‐dimethylacetamide as solvent. Cu₃(BTC)₂ particles are uniformly dispersed and there are no interfacial defects in the prepared MMMs when Cu₃(BTC)₂ loading is not more than 35 wt %, seen in SEM images. Pure gas permeation tests show that gas permeability increases obviously with Cu₃(BTC)₂ loading increase, while ideal selectivities of CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ are almost unchanged. For MMM with the best separation property, CO₂ permeability increases about 2.6 times and CO₂/N₂ selectivity remains almost unchanged. Results about gas diffusivity and solubility indicate that gas diffusivity and solubility make contribution to gas permeability increase at the same time but in different ways. Gas permeation properties of MMMs are well predicted by Maxwell or Bruggeman model. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Applied Polymer Science Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40719.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorene‐based polybenzimidazole copolymer for gas separation

The purpose of this study is to develop new cardo‐polybenzimidazole (CPBI) copolymers containing cardo fluorene, with improved gas permeability, specifically oxygen permeability. The characteristics of these copolymers are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, ¹H and ¹³C), thermo‐gravimetric analysis, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. These membranes fabricated from copolymers have relatively high oxygen diffusion coefficients, determined using gas permeation. In particular, the CPBI‐co91 (synthesized by using the monomers ratio containing dibenzoic acid = 9 : 1) membrane have oxygen permeability coefficient (P_O2) of 10.69 Barrer, theoretical selectivity of 5.4 for oxygen to nitrogen, and O₂ diffusion coefficient of 9.64 × 10^?8 cm²/s. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40521.     

Electrospun polymeric membranes: Potential removal of endocrine disrupting compounds using solid membrane extraction and filtration processes

The present study aims to prepare polymeric membranes by electrospinning to apply in the removal of estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2) in aqueous samples. Polymeric membranes of polyamide-6 (PA6), polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactic acid (PLA), and poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) were obtained, characterized, and tested as sorbent material in processes of solid membrane extraction (SME) and membrane filtration. The efficiencies of the membranes after washing and/or conditioning processes were compared. The characterizations showed membranes with nanometer-diameter threads (between 250 and 1200 nm, on average). The four membranes' morphology, chemical composition, and thermal stability were like previous works. PBAT membranes were considered the most effective SME technique as a differential, with 44%–71% removal. For the membrane filtration process, the highest removal values were obtained for the PBAT membrane (82%–91%), which was also efficient in filtering a surface water sample from River Guaíba. PBAT polymeric membrane effectively removes and recovers the studied hormones, lowering production costs and allowing internal and external modifications. These aspects demonstrate that the obtained membranes offer an efficient material in extracting E1, E2, and EE2, of high simplicity, low cost, and green chemistry.     

Inherent porous structure modified by titanium dioxide nanoparticle incorporation and effect on the fouling behavior of hybrid poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes

The incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) into a casting solution is a widely used practice for controlling the membrane fouling tendency, but the specific role of NPs in fouling control from an internal porous structure optimization has seldom been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the specific role of titanium dioxide (TiO₂)–NPs (Degussa P25) in mitigating membrane organic fouling. We prepared the membranes by tailoring the concentrations of the NPs well; this resulted in an optimized membrane microstructure consisting of fingerlike voids (beneath the skin layer of the membrane) and spongy voids (adjacent to the fingerlike voids). The NP incorporation induced the formation of spongy voids beneath the skin layer, and the increase in the NP concentration increased the formation of spongy voids. Moreover, surface images obtained by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results, and contact angles confirmed that TiO₂–NPs were almost absent on the skin layer. Antifouling experiments were performed with a model organic foulant in two flow orientations [fingerlike voids facing the retentate (FVR) and spongy voids facing the retentate (SVR)]. The results show that the membrane fluxes in FVR decreased more than those in SVR. The membrane with 1.5 wt % TiO₂ operated in SVR exhibited the lowest flux decline; this suggested that spongy voids with TiO₂ exposure could mitigate fouling to a greater extent. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43265.     

Changes in free volume and gas permeation properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite membranes modified using cage-structured polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

The present work reports the effect of various organically functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) particles on the gas transport properties (N₂, O₂, and CO₂ molecules) in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes. The incorporation of polyethylene glycol-POSS (PEG-POSS), octa-tetramethylammonium-POSS (Octa-TMA-POSS) and m-POSS (Octa-TMA-POSS molecule was modified using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) led to the enhancement in CO₂ separation performance of PVA, among which, PEG-POSS exhibited highest CO₂ separation due to the dipole-quadrupolar interaction of CO₂ with ethylene oxide group in POSS. Octa-TMA-POSS and m-POSS reduced the O₂ and N₂ permeability of the PVA membrane due to the reduction in the number of permeating pathways as compared to pure PVA. Free volume of the membranes was evaluated by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopic (PALS) and coincidence Doppler broadening measurements. PALS confirms the increase in polymer free volume in PVA/POSS system due to the presence of rigid and spherical POSS molecule, which could enter in the polymer chain and provide viable pathway for molecular transport. Maxwel–Wagner–Sillar and Higuchi models were applied for the theoretical prediction of permeability of the fabricated membranes.     

Ultrafiltration membranes based on hybrids of an amphiphilic graft copolymer and titanium isopropoxide

Graft copolymer poly(vinyl chloride)‐g‐poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (PVC‐g‐POEM) is combined with titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) to form hybrids that undergo phase separation in a water bath. The water permeance of the PVC‐g‐POEM membrane increases by hybridization with TTIP owing to an increase in the surface pore size and porosity. Upon heating to 80 °C, the water permeances of PVC‐g‐POEM and PVC‐g‐POEM/TTIP decrease owing to the increased thickness of the top layer. However, the bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection of PVC‐g‐POEM increases, while that of PVC‐g‐POEM/TTIP decreases. This is attributed to accelerated dissolution of TTIP at 80 °C, resulting in a large number of surface pores. The antifouling performance is significantly improved by TTIP addition and heating owing to increased hydrophilicity, as confirmed by contact angle, O/C atomic ratio, and water content measurements. The PVC‐g‐POEM/TTIP membrane prepared at 25 °C shows the best performance [338 L m^?2 h^?1 bar^?1 (LMH) water permeance, 89.4% BSA rejection, and 91.9% flux ratio recovery]. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45932.     

Synthesis of highly selective copolymer membranes and their application for the dehydration of tetrahydrofuran by pervaporation

Acrylonitrile was copolymerized with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) at three different copolymer compositions by emulsion polymerization to produce polyacrylonitrile–2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (PANHEMA) copolymer membranes containing increasing amounts of HEMA from PANHEMA‐1 to PANHEMA‐3. The dehydration of tetrahydrofuran (THF) over a concentration range of 0–14 wt % water in the feed was studied by pervaporation with these three copolymer membranes. The permeate water flux and separation factor for water was measured over the same concentration range at 30, 40, and 50°C. Among the copolymer membranes, PANHEMA‐1 exhibited a reasonable water flux (34.9 g m^?2 h^?1) with a very high water selectivity (264), whereas PANHEMA‐3 showed a higher water flux (52 g m^?2 h^?1) but a lower water selectivity (176.5) for highly concentrated THF (0.56 wt % water in the feed) at 30°C. The permeation factors of water for all of the membranes were much greater than unity, which signified a strong positive coupling effect of THF on water permeation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 728–737, 2007     

Separation of oil/water emulsions using nano MgO anchored hybrid ultrafiltration membranes for environmental abatement

This work focuses on utilizing the dual role of sulfonated polyphenyl sulfone (SPPSU) as both an anchoring agent and an interlayer modifying agent in the preparation of nano MgO/SPPSU/PPSU membranes for oil removal from water. These asymmetric membranes were prepared using the phase inversion technique. The dispersed nano MgO was observed in the membrane matrix as seen by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X‐ray analysis. The reduction in contact angle value establishes the increases in hydrophilicity. An increase in SPPSU (wt %) loosens the nano MgO/SPPSU/PPSU membrane packing as exhibited by the increase of d‐spacing by X‐ray diffraction analysis. The antifouling properties were tested using humic acid, as a model foulant. Further, in castor oil/water emulsion separation, it was found that the membrane with 25 wt % anchored moiety SPPSU/nano MgO produced a greater flux recovery ratio of 94.9% (±0.3) without compromising the oil rejection of 99% (±0.4) and better oleophobic surfaces for oil. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 132, 42848.     

The impact of microwave‐assisted thermal sterilization on the morphology,free volume,and gas barrier properties of multilayer polymeric films

Microwave‐assisted thermal sterilization (MATS) is an advanced thermal process that utilizes microwave (MW) energy for in‐package food sterilization. Benefits include much shorter processing times than conventional retort sterilization. This research explores how MATS affects the performance of high‐barrier multilayer polymeric films compared with conventional retort sterilization. The gas barrier, morphological, and free volume packaging properties of these films may influence the shelf‐life of shelf‐stable foods. In this study, we applied X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy in order to investigate film morphology and free volume characteristics, respectively. Results show that the conventional retort process affected gas barrier properties more than MATS processing did which could be explained by the morphological and free volume changes in the polymeric films. XRD revealed improved crystalline morphology of MW‐treated films in terms of overall crystallinity as compared with retort sterilization. On the other hand, higher free volume increase in MW‐treated films could be explained by the different heating mechanisms involved in MATS and retort sterilization. Overall, the oxygen transmission rate for both films remained below 2 cc/m²‐day after MATS and retort sterilization required for packaging applications for shelf‐stable foods. This work provides the basis for understanding the gas‐barrier changes of multilayer polymeric films after MATS application using Materials Science techniques. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40376.