Graft Polymerization of Stearyl Methacrylate on PET Track-Etched Membranes for Oil–Water Separation

In this article, results of PET track-etched membranes (PET TeMs) hydrophobized by photo-induced graft polymerization of stearyl methacrylate (SM) inside the pores were presented. The effects of monomer concentration, time of irradiation and the nature of the solvent on the degree of grafting and membrane morphology were investigated. The PET TeMs with pore diameters ranging from 350 nm (pore density of 1 × 10(8) pore/cm(2)) to 3.05 µm (pore density of 1 × 10(6) pore/cm(2)) were hydrophobized and tested for oil–water separation by using hexadecane–water and chloroform–water emulsions. Studies have shown high separation performance for membranes (up to 1100 mL/m(2)·s) with large pore diameters while achieving a high degree of purification.