Surface modification of commercial polyamide reverse osmosis membranes by radical grafting: An ATR-FTIR study

Abstract

A new grafting procedure was developed for surface modification of commercial polyamide reverse osmosis membranes. Acidic and neutral acrylic monomers and sulfo-containing vinyl monomers were successfully grafted from aqueous solutions under mild conditions. The modifications were monitored by ATR-FTIR spectra. The characteristic peaks of functional groups introduced by grafting were evaluated. The spectral findings correlated with physicochemical properties of the membranes.