Performance enhancement of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane using TiO2 nanofibers

Titanium dioxide nanofibers were synthesized via alkaline hydrothermal method using TiO2 nanopowder. The hydrothermal method was optimized by studying the operating variables to obtain nanosized TiO2 fibers. These nanofibers were used to make composite polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes along with polyethylene glycol as pore forming agent. The obtained samples were characterized using scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, and attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Contact angle measurements were used to estimate hydrophilicity of the membrane. Performance of the membrane was analyzed using pure water flux studies and antifouling studies with bovine serum albumin as the standard protein for rejection. The composite membranes exhibited better performance in both permeability and antifouling property.