Preparation, characterization and performance enhancement of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane using PBI as hydrophilic modifier

•Modified membranes had more hydrophilic surface and higher porosity than PSf membrane.•PBI blended membranes exhibited good rejection performance.•PSf and PBI polymers formed miscible blends.

In this study, new type of polysulfone (PSf) composite ultrafiltration membranes were prepared by blending PSf with poly[2,2′-(m-phenylene)-5,5′-dibenzimidazole] (PBI). The prepared membranes were characterized by water contact angle, SEM, FTIR, DSC, TG/DTG and cross-flow filtration techniques. We demonstrated that membrane characteristics such as porosity, hydrophilicity and thermal stability of PSf can be significantly enhanced with the incorporation of PBI. The composite membranes exhibited comparable bovine serum albumin (BSA) retention (69% vs. 36%) and water fluxes (355 vs. 228 L/m2 h) against pristine PSf membranes.

Graphical abstractPossible H-bonding and π–π interactions between the functional groups of the PSf and PBI.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (113 K)Download as PowerPoint slide