Composite membranes were prepared by the deposition of plasma-polymerized allylamine films
onto a porous polyimide substrate. The relationship between the plasma conditions and the membrane
characteristics was described in terms of monomer flow rate, plasma discharge power, plasma
polymerization time, and so on. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicate that the thickness of
the plasma polymer layer increased and the membrane skin pore size decreased gradually with the increasing
of plasma polymerization time. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra demonstrate the appearance of
amine groups in the plasma deposited polymer and the contact angle measurements indicate that the
hydrophilicity of the membrane surfaces increased significantly after plasma polymerization. The composite
membranes can reject salt from sodium chloride feed solution, and membrane separation performance
depends strongly on the plasma conditions applied during the preparation of the plasma deposited polymer
films. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
