Recently, there has been increased interest in self-healing membranes containing functional microcapsules in relation to challenges involving water treatment membranes. In this study, a self-healing membrane has been prepared by incorporating microcapsules with a polyurethane (PU) shell and a diisocyanate core in a poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membrane. Depending on the characteristics of the microcapsule, to precisely quantify the self-healing behavior and performance of the produced microcapsule embedded membranes, it is important to understand the effect of a used surfactant on microcapsule synthesis. It is noteworthy that mixed surfactants have been employed to control and tailor the size and morphology of microcapsules during the synthetic process, and the surfactant system employed was one of the most dominant parameters for affecting the healing capability of microcapsule embedded membranes. Various techniques including microscopy (optical and electron), thermal analyses (DSC and TGA), and water flux measurements have been employed. This article provides essential and important information for future research into the subtle relation between microcapsule properties with varied synthetic parameters and the self-healing behavior of membrane.
Keywords: microcapsule; polyurethane; self-healing membrane; surfactant; water treatment.