Preparation of high-capacity, weak anion-exchange membranes by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of poly(glycidyl methacrylate) and subsequent derivatization with diethylamine

Ion-exchange membrane is of importance for the development of membrane chromatography. In this work, a high-capacity anion-exchange membrane was prepared by grafting of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) onto the surface of regenerated cellulose (RC) membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) and subsequent derivatization with diethylamine. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize changes in the chemical functionality, surface topography and pore morphology of the modified membranes. The static capacity of the prepared anion-exchange membrane was evaluated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. The results indicated that the anion-exchange membrane which could reach a maximum capacity of 96 mg/mL for static adsorption possesses a higher adsorption capacity, and the adsorption capacity increases with the polymerization time. The effect of pH and salt concentration confirmed that the adsorption of BSA followed ion-exchange mechanism. The established method would have potential application in the preparation of anion-exchange membrane.

► High-capacity ion-exchange membranes by ATRP and subsequent derivatization. ► The protein adsorption capacities increase with ATRP grafting time. ► The permeability of the membrane could be manipulated by ATRP grafting time. ► pH and salt effect confirmed that the adsorption of BSA followed ion-exchange mechanism.