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Temperature-sensitive membranes prepared from blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamides) microgels

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Abstract

In this study, temperature-sensitive membranes were prepared by phase transition of the mixture of the temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamides) (PNIPAAM) microgels and poly(vinylidene fluoride). The results of Fourier transformed infrared spectrometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and scanning electron microscope photographs indicate that the PNIPAAM microgels are distributed more in the inner membrane than on the surface. The scanning electron microscope photographs reveal the blend membranes having porous surfaces with nanometer sizes and porous cross-sections with micrometer sizes. The addition of the PNIPAAM microgels is found to improve the porosity, the pore size, water flux, as well as to enhance the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling property of the blend membranes. The blend membrane shows temperature-sensitive permeability and protein rejection with the most dramatic change at around 32 °C which is the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAAM, when water or bovine serum albumin solution flow through. Specifically, below 32 °C, the blend membrane shows a high protein rejection ratio which decreases with increasing temperature and a low water flux which increases with increasing temperature; above 32 °C, the blend membrane shows a low protein rejection ratio which decreases with increasing temperature and a high water flux which increases with increasing temperature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51003076 and 21204064) and Science and Technology Commission Foundation of Tianjin (No. 10JCZDJC22000) for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Xi Chen, Shiyin Bi, Congcong Shi, Yang He, Lizhi Zhao & Li Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Hollow Fiber Membrane Materials and Processes, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Xi Chen, Shiyin Bi, Congcong Shi, Lizhi Zhao & Li Chen

  3. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Fiber Modification and Functional Fiber, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Yang He & Li Chen

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  1. Xi Chen
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  2. Shiyin Bi
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  3. Congcong Shi
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  4. Yang He
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  5. Lizhi Zhao
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Correspondence to Xi Chen or Li Chen.

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Chen, X., Bi, S., Shi, C. et al. Temperature-sensitive membranes prepared from blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamides) microgels. Colloid Polym Sci 291, 2419–2428 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-013-2985-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-013-2985-y

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