| 초록 |
We synthesized the zwitterionic homopolymer polysulfobetaine (PBET), which shows upper critical solution temperature characteristics, via free radical polymerization in order to investigate its suitability as a draw solute for the forward osmosis (FO) process. The UCST characteristics of the monomer (BET) were not confirmed, while the UCST of PBET was confirmed to be roughly 41 ℃. This result suggests that PBET can be easily recovered from aqueous solutions by cooling them to below the UCST. In a pressure retarded osmosis system containing 20 wt% PBET at 50 ℃, the water flux and reverse solute flux of PBET were found to be roughly 3.22 LMH and 0.36 gMH, respectively. Thus, we investigated the suitability of homopolymers having UCST characteristics as draw solutes for the FO process for the first time. This research provides a deep understanding of new ways of developing draw solutes, and could provide inspiration for the design and synthesis of thermo-responsive organic materials. |
