Study of unmodified and modified PA thin layers with AA and UV irradiation using SEM, AFM and contact angle measurements

The membrane process is an attractive separation technology due to the fast and energy efficient process without any phase change [1]. Nanofiltration (NF) polymeric membranes aregaining interest worldwide due to use in wastewater reclamation, industrial water production and pharmaceuticalSeveral processes have been reported for the preparation of composite NF membranes that one major approach is interfacial polymerization[2]. Most NF polymeric membranesdeveloped to date have a thin-film composite (TFC) structure. A composite membrane is obtained by forming an ultra-thindense layer on a porous support. The separation performances of the TFC membranes are highly dependent on the monomersused in interfacial polymerization [3]. Also, several techniques have been employed in order to increase surface hydrophilicity of thin film membranes [4]. Among the graftpolymerization methods, UV-initiated grafting is the most used technique for the membrane surface modification. The main objective of this paper is study of the UV-photo grafting of thin films using different concentrations of acrylic acid (AA) and irradiation times. The membranes were characterized by SEM, AFM and contact angle.