Effect of different degree of crosslinking on chitosan/peg membrane / Shahira Ramlee

In this study, the effect from degree of crosslinking by varying the concentration of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in hybrid membrane formulation was studied. The thin film composite (TFC) was fabricated from polymer blend chitosan (CS)/polyethylene glycol (PEG), crosslinked with different percentage of TEOS, 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%TEOS. Polysulfone was used as the porous support to hybrid membrane of CS/PEG hybrid membrane. The thin film composite membrane was characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and antifouling performance was conducted. Antifouling was carried out by using humic acid solution and deionized water as the feed solution. Based on results, it shows that TFC membrane with 3% TEOS have an excellent result in characterization of membrane and performance. Furthermore, TFC membrane crosslinked with 3% TEOS have good properties in performance test, flux ratio and antifouling properties. Excellent properties of relative flux recovery (RFR) and low in relative flux decay (RFD) compared with other TFC membranes. Therefore, this study conclude that thin film composite crosslinked with chitosan gives excellent antifouling membrane which suitable and being used in membrane filtration applications.