Surface Modification of Polymeric Membranes for Low Protein Fouling

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9400610 Rensselaer Polytech Inst. Georges Belfort The surface of a commercially available polymeric membrane material, poly(arylsulfone), will be modified in order to reduce fouling when exposed to proteins during filtration. Two different approaches of surface modification will be investigated. One approach will use a novel photochemical method of grafting different monomers on the surface of poly(arylsulfone) non-porous films and membranes. The other method will involve low temperature plasma treatment with a series of monomers under varying conditions. The modified surfaces will be characterized using appropriate analytical techniques. The filtration performance of the modified membranes which show most potential will be evaluated. The correlation of surface properties to membrane filtration performance may lead to the design of membranes with low fouling due to protein adsorption. Effective reduction of membrane fouling is necessary for the wide scale application of membrane separations in various area including biotechnology, water treatment and hence civil infrastructure, and manufacturing.