Abstract:Polyethersulfone (PES)/sulfonated polysulfone (SPSF) flat-sheet membranes were prepared by reverse thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) method. Properties and structure of PES/SPSF flat-sheet membranes, which varied with SPSF content and coagulation water bath temperature, were investigated by SEM, ATR-FT-IR, pure water flux, BSA rejection rate, water contact angle and long-term test. The results show that SPSF and PES can be mixed successfully. The PES/SPSF flat-sheet membrane prepared by NIPS method has dense skin layer and finger-like cross-section structure, while the membrane by RTIPS has uniform porous surface and sponge-like structure. The pure water flux and BSA rejection rate of PES/SPSF membrane by RTIPS method are higher than those by NIPS method. The water contact angle decreases with the SPSF addition. The best permeation performance of PES/SPSF membrane by RTIPS is obtained at 2% SPSF, the pure water flux and BSA rejection are 967 L/(m2·h) and 79%, respectively. In summary, the addition of SPSF can improve the anti-fouling performance of PES/SPSF membrane, and the performance of PES/SPSF membrane prepared by RTIPS method is better than that by NIPS method.