Preparation and anti-protein fouling property of δ-gluconolactone-modified hydrophilic polysulfone membranes

The surface of a chloromethylated polysulfone (CMPSF) membrane was modified by δ-gluconolactone, a multi-hydroxyl molecule, to improve the hydrophilic property of the membrane. The chemical composition and microstructure of δ-gluconolactone-modified PSF membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The antifouling property of the modified membranes was evaluated according to the amount of protein adsorption and the filtration test for a HSA solution. The results show that the chemical modification of a PSF membrane improved both the hydrophilicity and anti-protein absorption ability of the surface. Different modification approaches to achieve a hydrophilic PSF membrane are introduced, each having potential applications in the separation of biological samples.