Effects of Coagulation-Bath Temperature on the Formation Process of PVDF-g-PNIPAAm/poly(NIPAAm-co-AAc-L-Phe) Membrane

Abstract

In this work, poly (vinylidene fluoride)-graft-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PVDF-g-PNIPAAm) thermo-sensitive polymer and poly (NIPAAm-co-AAc-L-Phe) chiral micro-gels were synthesized firstly. A chiral thermo-sensitive membrane for phenylalanine separation of the racemic mixture was prepared by phase inversion method with the blend of poly (NIPAAm-co-AAc-L-Phe) and PVDF-g-PNIPAAm. The blend membrane formation mechanism of the casting solutions in water bath thermodynamics at different temperatures and the process of membrane formation were investigated via cloud point determination and ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (UTDR). The results showed that the inversion between hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of PNIPAAm contributed to the membrane formation process. From the time needed in membrane forming recorded by ultrasonic signal spectra, it can be found that the speed for solidification was increased when the coagulation-bath temperature was higher than 30°C.