Highly Permeable Polyphenylene Sulfone Ultrafiltration Membranes Exhibiting High Resistance to Superheated Steam

Highly permeable polyphenylene sulfone (PPSU) hollow fiber membranes containing different amounts of chlorine and hydroxyl terminal groups in a weight-average molecular mass range of 65 000–80 200 g/mol have been developed. It has been shown that membranes formed from polymers with chlorine terminal groups exhibit a higher water permeance during filtration of up to 125 kg/(m2 h atm). The effect of superheated steam on porous filtration membranes made of polysulfone (PSU) and PPSU has been first studied. It has been shown that the mechanical properties of the PSU membranes abruptly change during treatment with saturated steam at an exposure time of more than 180 h. At the same time, the elastic modulus of the PPSU membranes varies only slightly; this fact suggests that they exhibit high hydrolytic stability.