Abstract Polyethersulfone (PES) is a polymer material with benzene rings and is relatively easy to functionally modify. The quaternization of PES was carried out by using 1,4-dichloromethoxylbutane as the chloromethylating agent and N-methylimidazole as quaternating agent to make it a functional material with a surface charge. The chloromethylation and quaternization degree of PES were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR). The Zeta potential, electrostatic charge, ion exchange amount, and contact angle of the samples were tested. The results showed that the ion exchange capacity, electrostatic charge and Zeta potential of the quaternized polyethersulfone membrane were positively correlated with the degree of quaternization. The quaternization modification of PES can significantly improve the hydrophilicity of polyethersulfone.
