Effect of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Cellulose Acetate (CA) Loading on the Characteristics of Polyethersulfone (PES) Membrane

This research demonstrates the production of membranes utilizing polyethersulfone (PES). Cellulose Acetate (CA) at 5% and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) at 5% are incorporated into the PES membrane as additives, while ethanol serves as a variable non-solvent in the coagulation bath. The incorporation of CA and PEG additives serves to enhance the performance and characteristics of PES membranes. Fabrication of PES membranes utilizing the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. The impact of additive incorporation was assessed through various characterization tests, including Swelling degree, Tensile strength, contact angle, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR). The results indicated that the swelling degree value increased from 13.66% (PES) to 39.40% with the addition of PEG and CA. Nevertheless, the membrane's mechanical strength was diminished as a result of the inclusion of PEG. PES/CA exhibits the highest tensile strength value at 1.8 MPa, while PES/PEG has a peak of 1.4 MPa. The optimal contact angle measurement was achieved on the PES/CA/PEG membrane at 50°. The SEM characterization results indicated an increase in membrane pore size, with the modified membrane exhibiting a pore size range of 0.331-0.664 μm. The incorporation of 60% ethanol as a non-solvent resulted in the maximum swelling degree value of 41.05%. In conclusion, the characteristics of the membrane are influenced by the combination of additive Cellulose Acetate (CA) and Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) through blending.