Abstract:

Polyacrylonitrile/ regenerated cellulose (PAN / RC) composite nanofibers membrane was prepared by electrospinning and chemical modification for the separation and purification of serum albumin. Composite nanofiberous membrane was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, specific surface area and pore size analysis. The membrane separation system was assembled by the PAN / RC composite nanofibers membrane, which was overlaid to form the reaction layer. The optimal condition of the protein separation were analyzed by adjusting the operating pressure, filtration time and the pH value. Results showed that the rejection rate of serum albumin and flux of membrane could reach 80.04 % and 1.85 L/(m² • min), respectively, under the following conditions: the operating pressure was 0.10 MPa, and the processing time was 1.5 h. Compared with the polyether sulphone commercial ultrafiltration membrane, the rejection rate decreased slightly, while the transport flux improved by several times. At the same time, the experimental results indicated that the regenerated cellulose nanofibrous membrane possessed excellent reusability. Additional, the regenerated cellulose nanofibrous membrane could well retain the nanofibrous morphological structure after the separation of serum albumin for several times in aqueous environment.

Key words: electrospinning, regenerated cellulose nanofiber, separation of protein, flux