The concentration of positive and negative functional groups (FGs) in nanofiltration (NF) and
reverse osmosis membranes (RO) have been successfully quantified as a function of pH by
ion probing using Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). The concentration of FGs
was higher for the NF (TFC-S®) than for the RO (FT30®) membrane tested within the pH
range of 3.5-10.3 studied. The isoelectric point obtained from FGs concentration
measurements of TFC-S®(NF) membrane was found to be pH~5.5, consistent with values
reported in the literature for polyamide NF membranes. Includes 5 references, figures.