Fabrication and Properties of Poly(Ether Imide)/Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Ultrafiltration Membrane

A poly(ether imide) (PEI) composite membrane was prepared by dip coating a PEI membrane pretreated with 2-aminoethanole (AEOH) into an aqueous solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA and glutaraldehyde (GA). PEI membrane support was firstly prepared via phase inversion technique by casting a solution of PEI in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), using water as non-solvent. The hydrophilicity, permeability, anti-fouling and mechanical properties of unmodified PEI and PEI/PVA composite membranes were investigated. By comparison with the unmodified PEI membrane, the PEI/PVA composite membrane exhibited a higher pure water flux and an increase in its hydrophilicity. In addition, the flux recovery of the pure water flux of the composite PEI membrane was higher than that of the unmodified PEI membrane. This indicated that the obtained composite membrane could reduce the membrane fouling and improve its use for ultrafiltration.