Polysaccharide separation mechanism in polysulfone-Fe3O4 magnetic composite membranes

Abstract

Polysulfone (PSF)-Fe3O4 composite membranes were prepared by the phase-inversion process and their polysaccharide separation mechanism was explored using chondroitin sulfate (CS) and dextran. The mechanism was analyzed from constraints on the magnetic field and geometric deformation. It was found that variations in dextran rejection from 58% to 46% were mainly influenced by the geometric deformation of the composite membrane, while the magnetic field had a significant influence on variations in CS rejection from 82% to 35%. The results indicate that it is possible to continuously separate different types of polysaccharide with a composite membrane by adjusting the external magnetic field.