Abstract:
A versatile approach towards enhanced energy efficient and long term utilization of Poly
Ether Sulphone (PES) membranes has been developed. Bactericidal functional groups
were incorporated to fabricate antifouling polymer membranes via phase inversion
method. The effect of added antifouling groups on the morphology and performance of
the newly fabricated membranes was investigated in terms of flux and fouling
parameters. The resulting membranes were characterized by FTIR, Scanning Electron
Microscopy (SEM), AFM, and Sessile drop method before further subjected to water
permeation and antifouling tests. The water contact angle measurement confirmed the
increased hydrophilicity of the modified membranes and pore density increases with an
increase in antiseptic loading. The pore size however decreased as observed by SEM. In
addition, it has been observed that the antifouling property has been increased up to
seventy five percent.
