Reveal of the Effect of Membrane Preparation Method on the Outer Surface Roughness of Cellulose Acetate Butylate Hollow Fiber Membrane

摘要

Cellulose acetate butylate (CAB) hollow fiber membrane was prepared via both thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) and nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) methods. Atomic force microscope (AFM) is used to observe the outer surface structure of the membranes obtained by different preparation methods and various preparation conditions. A tapping mode was operated for studying the polymeric membranes when AFM was applied to image the surface of a fiber in air. AFM images have revealed that both the nodule structure and the roughness of the membrane outer surface were effected by the air gap distance, coagulation bath temperature and composition.