DMSO EVOL™ as novel non-toxic solvent for polyethersulfone membrane preparation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Traditional polymeric membrane preparation relies on toxic solvents, posing risks to human health and the environment.
• Developing greener alternatives is crucial for sustainable membrane technology.
• Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes are widely used but their synthesis often involves hazardous chemicals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate DMSO EVOL™, an improved dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), as a green solvent for preparing PES microfiltration (MF) membranes.
• To investigate the influence of additives like polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Pluronic®, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) on membrane characteristics.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of replacing N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) with a safer solvent in PES membrane fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a combination of non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) and vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) techniques.
• Employed DMSO EVOL™ as the primary solvent for dissolving PES.
• Incorporated PVP, Pluronic®, and PEG as additives to modify membrane properties.
• Characterized membrane morphology, mechanical strength, pore size, and water permeability.

Main Results:

• DMSO EVOL™ effectively replaced the toxic solvent NMP in PES membrane preparation.
• The use of DMSO EVOL™ allowed for the tuning of membrane pore sizes within the microfiltration range (0.1-0.6 μm).
• Additives influenced the final membrane properties, enabling tailored performance.

Conclusions:

• DMSO EVOL™ is a viable and greener alternative solvent for the fabrication of PES microfiltration membranes.
• This study successfully demonstrates a more environmentally friendly method for producing functional polymeric membranes.
• The developed process offers a pathway to sustainable membrane manufacturing without compromising performance.