Electrokinetic index: A new metric for advanced characterization of membranes with various geometries

Abstract

Electrokinetic measurements to determine the electrical properties (zeta potential) of membrane surfaces have become increasingly popular in the toolbox of characterization techniques. However, it has been established in the literature that parasitic phenomena such as electrokinetic leakage can hamper data interpretation, leading to not only quantitative but also qualitative errors in membrane zeta potential determination. To date, the only method for highlighting and accounting for electrokinetic leakage is limited to flat-sheet membranes. In this letter, we propose an alternative method that is much less time-consuming and applicable to all membrane geometries. This method is based on the determination of the electrokinetic index, which we define as the ratio of the apparent zeta potentials determined from single measurements of the streaming current and streaming potential coefficients. We show that variation in the electrokinetic index reflects modifications occurring within the membrane matrix (in addition to surface properties alteration). The chemical degradation of polyethersulfone (PES)-based flat-sheet and hollow-fiber membranes is used as a proof of concept, but the proposed approach is readily transposable to other problems of practical interest, such as e.g. membrane fouling. This work also paves the way for the development of a new type of electrokinetic sensors for on-line monitoring of membrane operations.