Formation of disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) thin film desalination membranes plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) by solvent-free melt extrusion

In this study, we discuss a new membrane formation route for preparing sulfonated polysulfone desalination membranes by solvent-free melt processing. Single-layer membranes composed of a 20 mol% disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) random copolymer (BPS-20K) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) plasticizers were successfully prepared by using melt extrusion. The chemical integrity of the components in the BPS-20K/PEG membranes was maintained after the extrusion process, as confirmed by 1H NMR and FT-IR analysis. Although some of the films appeared opaque after extrusion, this was found to be due to surface roughness. Other factors that might lead to film opacity, such as phase separation, crystallization, or micro-voids, were not found.