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. 2025 Feb 8;30(4):781.
doi: 10.3390/molecules30040781.

Preparation of Highly Antibacterial Polyethersulfone/Sulfonated Polyethersulfone Blend Composite Membrane and Research on Its Dye Separation Performance

Na Meng  1 , Jialing Mi  1 , Xuan Chen  2 , Jinxin Liu  1 , Hualei Zhu  1 , Xiaoyu Zheng  2
Affiliations

Preparation of Highly Antibacterial Polyethersulfone/Sulfonated Polyethersulfone Blend Composite Membrane and Research on Its Dye Separation Performance

Na Meng et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Bringing sulfonic acid groups into conventional polyethersulfone (PES) materials to prepare PES/sulfonated polyethersulfone (SPES) composite membranes has been shown to markedly enhance the hydrophilicity of the membranes and boost their separation efficiency in water treatment applications. However, membrane fouling due to microbial activity remains a critical challenge in the practical use of these membranes. Despite this, research into the antibacterial capabilities of PES/SPES composite membranes is scarce. This study employed the nonsolvent-induced phase inversion technique to prepare PES/SPES blend membranes and examined how the solid content influences their microstructure and separation performance. The findings indicated that an increase in solid content leads to higher casting solution viscosity, a reduction in membrane porosity from 10.8% to 4.06%, an increase in tensile strength from 0.79 MPa to 5.06 MPa, and a significant improvement in methylene blue rejection from 50% to nearly 100%. Additionally, the study revealed that the incorporation of SPES into the blend membranes enhances their resistance to bacterial adhesion, effectively suppressing microbial growth. Notably, the higher the sulfonic acid group content, the better the antibacterial properties of the composite membranes.

Keywords: PES; SPES; antibacterial properties; composite membrane; dye separation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Enthalpy of mixing of PES in PES/SPES blend system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
FTIR diagram of PES/SPES blend membrane (M20–M30).
Figure 3
Figure 3
XPS survey (a–e) and analysis of XPS elements in the S2p region (f–j) of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Change chart of viscosity and acidity of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Diagram of cross-section SEM characterization of blend membrane.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Changes in contact angle (a) and water absorption rate (b) of PES/SPES blend membrane with total solid content.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Surface 3D AFM picture of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Roughness (Ra) of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Tensile strength (a) and elongation at break (b) of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Retention rates of M22.5 and M25 blend membranes for PEG with different relative molecular weights.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Permeation flux (a) and dye retention (b) of PES/SPES blend membrane.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Antibacterial effects of pure PES membrane (a), M20 membrane (b) and M30 membrane (c).
Figure 13
Figure 13
Adhesive capacities of Escherichia coli by pure PES membrane, M20 membrane and M30 membrane.
Figure 14
Figure 14
Route map of preparation of PES/SPES composite membrane.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Diagram of membrane performance test apparatus [30].
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