Effect of additives on graphene oxide incorporated polysulfone (PSF) membrane.

Here, we report that the effect of additives, namely polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), on graphene oxide (GO) incorporated polysulfone membranes. Previously, GO was prepared by modified hummers's method and confirmed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infra red spectroscopy and Raman spectra analysis. The variation in surface morphology, cross-sectional morphology and the distribution of pores with different sizes, upon variation of additives, was observed by FE-SEM. Thermal and mechanical properties of the membranes were analysed by thermogravimetric and tensile test measurements, respectively. The evaluation of membranes in terms of water permeability was examined and observed that PVP added membrane has superior flux than the PEG added membrane. Similarly, PVP added membrane shows good mechanical strength than the PEG added one. Both membranes exhibit excellent antibacterial activity compared with bare membranes. Considering the additive performance, PVP added membrane shows better antibacterial activity than the PEG added membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]