ANOVA Design for the Optimization of TiO₂ Coating on Polyether Sulfone Membranes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Science

Background:

• Polyether sulfone (PES) membranes are vital for water purification but require antifouling and stable surfaces.
• Developing optimized conditions for nanocomposite PES membranes remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate fabrication parameters for nanocomposite PES/TiO2 membranes.
• To optimize membrane performance for water purification applications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized one-half fractional factorial design for experimental optimization.
• Analyzed the effects of exposure time, immersion time, glycerol time, and nonsolvent ratio.
• Compared different templating agents and a control nanocomposite membrane.

Main Results:

• Identified optimal parameters: 60s exposure, >10h immersion, 4h glycerol time, and specific nonsolvent ratios (30/70 for PES-DMAc, 70/30 for PES-NMP).
• F127 triblock copolymer demonstrated excellent antifouling capabilities.
• Achieved 83.33% bovine serum albumin rejection and flux recovery with F127.

Conclusions:

• Optimized fabrication parameters significantly enhance PES/TiO2 membrane performance.
• F127 triblock copolymer is a highly effective templating agent for antifouling membranes.
• The findings provide a pathway for improved water purification technologies.