TITLE:
Synthesis and Characterization of Polysulfone Hydrogels
AUTHORS:
Francis N. Muya, Lisebo Phelane, Priscilla G. L. Baker, Emmanuel I. Iwuoha
KEYWORDS:
Hydrogels, Polysulfone, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Scanning Electron, Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Contact Angle
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Surface Engineered Materials and Advanced Technology,
Vol.4 No.4,
July
17,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Polysulfone (PSF) membranes are frequently
used in ultrafiltration, due totheirchemical and structural stability and mechanical robustness. Despite these
advantages, successful utilization of this membrane technology has been greatly
limited by the susceptibility of these membranes to fouling, due totheirhydrophobic nature. Here we report on the
synthesis and characterisation of hydrophilic PSF membrane materials prepared
by incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol, through chemical crosslinking to produce
mechanically and chemically stable PSF hydrogels. The hydrogel composition was
controlled at three different ratios to evaluate the effect of the PSF
contributioni.e.25:75, 50:50 and
75:25. PSF hydrogels were characterized using high resolution scanningelectronmicroscopy (HR-SEM), cyclicvoltammetry (CV), and drop shape analysis
techniques. The polysulfone hydrogels formed showed a decrease in contact angle
by 50% for all hydrogels regardless of their polysulfone contribution,
confirming an improvement in hydrophilic nature. The electron diffusion and
ionic transport properties of thehydrogels
as immobilised thin films in aqueous solutions,wereevaluated using cyclic voltammetry.