Polyethersulfone sulfonated by chlorosulfonic acid and its membrane characteristics

Sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) was prepared by homogeneous method with chlorosulfonic acid as sulfonating agent and concentrated sulfuric acid as solvent. The presence of sulfonic acid groups in SPES was confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) studies were carried out to investigate the thermal stability of SPES. Membranes were cast from SPES solutions in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Tensile strength of prepared membranes decreased with degree of sulfonation (DS) but water uptakes of SPES membranes increased with DS. Compared with unsulfonated polyethersulfone membrane, the hydrophilicity of SPES membranes was increased, as shown by a reduced contact angle with water. Amorphous structures for SPES membranes were detected by X-ray diffraction. Atomic force microscopy phase images of the membranes clearly showed the hydrophilic domains at higher DS.