Sulfonated polysulfone membranes with antifouling activity

The protein fouling phenomenon was investigated on modified polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes. The sulfonation degree was correlated to the extent of deposition of bovine serum albumin. It was shown that membranes prepared from modified polysulfone were less fouled than their off‐charge analogues. The fouling phenomenon was also investigated for membranes prepared from co‐cast blends. It was demonstrated that blends containing more than 50 wt.‐% of sulfonated derivative behaved like a membrane from pure sulfonated polysulfone. The effect was attributed to surface separation of polymers and formation of surfaces enriched with sulfonic groups.