EB depth-curing as a facile method to prepare highly stable membranes

Abstract

Solvent resistant polymeric membranes were prepared via electron beam (EB) curing after adding acrylate monomers to the existing membrane casting solution. Various parameters including the cross-linker functionality, radiation energy dose and polymer/cross-linker ratio were investigated to optimize the curing efficiency. The resulting EB-cured polysulfone (PSU) membranes showed excellent solvent stability with 96% Rose Bengal (1017 Da) retention at an isopropanol permeance of 0.062 l m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ in a typical solvent resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) system. Using the same technique, membranes with much higher permeances and lower rejections could be obtained, with excellent potential use as stable support layers for subsequent deposition of denser selective layers or for applications under harsh conditions.