Hamed Azizi Namaghi - Faculty of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran- LUT School of Engineering Science, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland
Ali Haghighi Asl - Faculty of Chemical, Petroleum and Gas Engineering, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
Mahdi Pourafshari Chenar - Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM), Mashhad, Iran -Membrane Processes and Membrane Research Center, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM), Mashhad, Iran
Mehrdad Hesampour

The effect of polysulfone (PSf) substrate with different morphology and porosity on the properties of polyamide (PA) thin film which formed via identical interfacial polymerization (IP) conditions was investigated. Accordingly, bulk modification of PSf substrate was manipulated through adding water as non-solvent additive (NSA) to the polymer solution casting at different concentration (0-4 wt.%). The performance of developed thin film composite (TFC) membranes was evaluated in brackish water desalination. Results were combined with morphology, wettability and polymer viscosity studies. The findings showed that addition of small amount of water in the casting solution resulted in more porous and similar hydrophobic substrate. Interestingly, only slight changes on salt rejection was observed on any TFC membranes. Furthermore, highly porous and relatively hydrophobic substrates produced more permeable TFC membrane. Consequently, the best performing TFC membrane produced based on its performance was the membrane prepared over substrate of 2 wt. % water in casting solution.

TFC membrane, non-solvent additive, substrate layer, porosity