Preparation of PES-g-P(ESA) Membrane by Gamma-Ray Irradiation in Homogeneous Solution and its Membrane Performance

In this study, ethylene sulfonate (ESA) monomers were added to the polyethersulfone (PES) casting solution and gamma ray irradiation was used to prepare the PES-g-P(ESA) modified membranes. The measurement of the membrane's Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy before and after irradiation revealed the effective progress of grafting reaction induced by gamma ray irradiation. The cross-sectional structure of the PES-g-P(ESA) modified membrane gradually transformed from the original finger-shaped pores to a sponge-like pore structure, according to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. Grafting of P(ESA) onto the PES molecular chains improved the hydrophilicity of the membrane, and the contact angle of the membrane steadily decreased as the grafting rate increased. Finally, when compared to pristine PES membranes, the modified PES-g-P(ESA) membrane exhibits an improvement of permeation, filtration, and antifouling performance. This research gives a reference and practical application for the fabrication of high-performance membranes via the gamma ray irradiation method.