Improving Anti-Protein-Fouling Property of Polyacrylonitrile Ultrafiltration Membrane by Grafting Sulfobetaine Zwitterions.

Zwitterions show great superiority in the field of polymer membrane surface functionalization, as the synthesis process is simple, the adaptability of functional groups is strong, and zwitterions with strong hydration capacity in aqueous solutions can inhibit protein adsorption. In this study, a polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membrane was modified to improve anti-protein-fouling capacity by grafting short-chain sulfonic type zwitterions. 3-Dimethylaminopropylamine was first grafted onto hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane by the activation of 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC). Subsequently, sulfobetaine zwitterions emerged on the membrane surface by quaternization of 1,3-propane sultone. The sulfobetaine zwitterionic membranes were analyzed for surface chemical composition, hydrophilic properties, and surface and cross-sectional structure of the membrane, by a combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. Static protein adsorption and dynamic filtration experiments were undertaken to show that the modified membrane had excellent resistance to protein adsorption. It was found that the molecular weight cutoff of the substrate membrane had great influence on the flux recovery rate of the modified membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]