Preparation and performance of hydrophilic PES blend membranes modified by Pluronic F127 and tannic acid based on RTIPS

Abstract In this study, we successfully prepared PES/F127/TA hybrid ultrafiltration membranes by reverse thermal phase separation (RTIPS) using Pluronic F127 (F127) and tannic acid (TA) as hydrophilic modifiers. The novelty of this study lies in the synergistic effect of F127 and TA, which significantly enhances the hydrophilicity and anti-fouling properties of PES membranes. The membrane is used to treat organic wastewater. The results showed that the optimal preparation conditions were 0.2 wt% TA and 0.6 wt% F127, with the contact angle decreasing from 65.25° to 44.46°. The water flux of the blend membrane was 1,713.0 L/(m 2 h), which was 5 times that of the pure PES membrane, and it maintained a higher rejection rate of HA (87.02 %) due to its increased porosity. This indicates that the membrane has excellent permeability and strong selectivity for organic wastewater. The blend membrane also exhibited better mechanical properties, prolonging its lifetime.