scholarly journals The Construction of a Hydrophilic Inorganic Layer Enables Mechanochemically Robust Super Antifouling UHMWPE Composite Membrane Surfaces

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 569 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Liu ◽  
Shusen Liu ◽  
Junrong Yu ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Jiamu Dai ◽  
...  

In this study, a facile and effective method is adopted to prepare mechanochemically robust super antifouling membrane surfaces. During the process, vinyl trimethoxy silane (VTMS) was used as the reactive intermediate for coupling the hydrophilic inorganic SiO2 nanoparticle layer on to the organic ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) membrane surface, which created hierarchical nanostructures and lower surface energy simultaneously. The physical and chemical properties of the modified UHMWPE composite membrane surface were investigated. FTIR and XPS showed the successful chemical grafting of VTMS and SiO2 immobilization, and this modification could effectively enhance the membrane’s surface hydrophilicity and filtration property with obviously decreased surface contact angle, the pure water flux and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection were 805 L·m−2·h−1 and 93%, respectively. The construction of the hydrophilic nano-SiO2 layer on the composite membrane surface for the improvement of membrane antifouling performance was universal, water flux recovery ratio values of BSA, humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA) were all up to 90%. The aim of this paper is to provide an effective approach for the enhancement of membrane antifouling performance by the construction of a hydrophilic inorganic layer on an organic membrane surface.

2011 ◽  
Vol 418-420 ◽  
pp. 639-642
Author(s):  
Tao Yuan ◽  
Jian Qiang Meng ◽  
Guo Rong Cai ◽  
Yu Feng Zhang

An amphiphilic graft copolymer was obtained via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of methacrylate (MMA) initiated directly by polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Hydrophilic PVDF membranes were prepared by immersion precipitation of PVDF-g-PMMA and PVDF blend solutions. The chemical structure and the molecular weight were characterized by 1H-NMR and GPC. The hydrophilicity of membrane surfaces were characterized by static water contact angle. Top surface and cross-section of membranes were observed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The results demonstrated the water contact angle of the membrane surface decreased from 89°to 67°, indicating enhanced hydrophilicity; the pure water flux water firstly decreased and then increased up to 1.7 times of the PVDF membrane. The retention of PEG (Mn=6000) could be maintained at 93%-95%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Romaya Sitha Silitonga ◽  
Nurul Widiastuti ◽  
Juhana Jaafar ◽  
Ahmad Fauzi Ismail ◽  
Muhammad Nidzhom Zainol Abidin ◽  
...  

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has outstanding properties such as high thermal stability, resistance to acid solvents and good mechanical strength. Due to its properties, PVDF is widely used as a membrane matrix. However, PVDF membrane is hydrophobic properties, so as for specific applications, the surface of membrane needs to be modified to become hydrophilic. This research aims to modify PVDF membrane surface with chitosan and glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker agent. The FTIR spectra showed that the modified membrane has a peak at 1655 cm-1, indicating the imine group (–N=C)- that was formed due to the crosslink between amine group from chitosan and aldehyde group from glutaraldehyde. Results showed that the contact angle of the modified membrane decreases to 77.22° indicated that the membrane hydrophilic properties (< 90°) were enhanced. Prior to the modification, the contact angle of the PVDF membrane was 90.24°, which shows hydrophobic properties (> 90°). The results of porosity, Ɛ (%) for unmodified PVDF membrane was 55.39%, while the modified PVDF membrane has a porosity of 81.99%. Similarly, by modifying the PVDF membrane, pure water flux increased from 0.9867 L/m2h to 1.1253 L/m2h. The enhancement of porosity and pure water flux for the modified PVDF membrane was due to the improved surface hydrophilicity of PVDF membrane.


2014 ◽  
Vol 789 ◽  
pp. 201-204
Author(s):  
Ai Wen Qin ◽  
Xiang Li ◽  
Bo Mou Ma ◽  
Xin Zhen Zhao ◽  
Chun Yi Liu ◽  
...  

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hybrid membranes reinforced by hydrophilic nanoSiO2 particles were fabricated from PVDF/N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/γ-butyrolactone (γ-BL) system via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process. Surface and cross-sectional morphology of membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The properties such as permeability, mechanical performances and antifouling property were also determined. The results showed that the pore size of membrane surface became smaller, while cross-sectional morphology was changed from bicontinuous structure to cell structure, the pore size became larger and majorities of closed pores became open with the addition of hydrophilic nanoSiO2 particles in the system. Compared with pure membrane, pure water flux of hybrid membrane increased by 30.3%, i.e. from 290 to 378 L/(m2·h·0.1MPa), antifouling property increased from 63.1% to 80.2%. Meanwhile, tensile strength and elongation at break increased by 70.6% and124%, respectively.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shun Ren ◽  
Dong-Qing Liu ◽  
Rui-Xiang Miao ◽  
Ze-Xian Zhu ◽  
Yu-Feng Zhang

Monolayer thin films were prepared at the interface of hexane and water to investigate the film formation ability of monomers through interfacial polymerization (IP). A tetra-calix[4]arene chloride derivative (CC) and a diamino-terminated PEG-1000 (DAP) produced a high strength membrane among the tested monomers. IP is consequently proposed to prepare a composite membrane with CC and DAP on a polysulfone (PSF) bulk membrane used for ultrafiltration. The top layer was cross-linked by heat-treating at 60°C for 2 min, with DAP (2 wt.-%) in water and CC (0.05 wt.-%) in hexane. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data confirmed that a polyamide was formed on the surface of the PSF substrate. The skin layer was a 3 μm thick smooth thin-film as determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and was also compact without gaps. Pure water flux was ~80.5 L m−2 h−1 under 0.5 MPa. Rejection of MgSO4 was round 22 %, since the calixarene-containing network was a sparse grid, and also had an affinity for metal cations. Although the skin of the composite membrane was compact under SEM, it was easy for metal cations to transfer through. This composite membrane might have good performance in other separation areas as a result of the special structure imparted by using the calixarenes as cross-linking knots.


2013 ◽  
Vol 750-752 ◽  
pp. 828-831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Zhuang ◽  
Zhi Qing Luo ◽  
Wen Qing Chen

For their excellent physical and chemical properties, PTFE hollow fiber membranes can be used in harsh environment of water treatment. But the membranes cannot be prepared by conventional methods, such as the melting processing methods and the dry-wet spinning processing methods, because of a high melting point of 327°C and chemical stability. In this paper a method of extrusion-stretching-sintering is used, and using this method we get the membranes with high fracture strength (10MPa) and high pure water flux (1500L/(m2*h)), also the retention rate of bovine serum albumin reaching 50%, which meets the laboratory microfiltration membrane requirements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 111-117
Author(s):  
Soraya Ruangdit ◽  
Suksawat Sirijaruku ◽  
Thawat Chittrakarn ◽  
Chaiporn Kaew-on

Polysulfone polymer (PSF) membrane has disadvantages due to its hydrophobicity, which may cause fouling and reduce separation performance. Therefore, this study aimed to enhance the hydrophilicity of PSF membranes by using irradiation at different ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, followed by Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafting on the PSF surfaces. The hydrophilicity of the treated membrane surfaces was examined by measuring water contact angle (WCA), surface energy (SE), surface morphology, functional groups, salt rejection, and water flux in a filtration instrument. The results show that with long UV treatment for up to 72 h, the 312 nm wavelength gave lesser WCA than treatment at 254 nm. The treated PSF membrane irradiated at 312 nm for 72 h, followed by PEG grafting, was effectively improved and retained increased hydrophilicity for up to thirty days.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3744-3749
Author(s):  
H. Waheed ◽  
A. Hussain

Polyvinyl pyrolidone (PVP) was added as filler in cellulose acetate (CA) to produce mixed matrix membrane (MMM) for hemodialysis operation. Phase separation induced by diffusion (DIPS) was used for fabrication of mixed matrix CA/PVP flat sheet membranes. The effect of adding PVP was investigated on the morphology and permeation efficiencies of CA membranes. The surface arrangement of polymer and additives in pure and blended membrane was studied by FTIR, contact angle and SEM. Results revealed homogenous and significant mixing of PVP content into pure CA matrix. Performance efficiency of blended membranes was investigated by means of pure water flux (PWF), urea clearance and % rejection of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The observable decrease of contact angle from 83° to 69° in CA/PVP MMM membranes of varying composition effectively revealed enhancement in hydrophilicity of MMM membrane surface. For protein rejection, all CA/PVP membranes rejected>90% of BSA relative to 25% for pure CA membrane. Furthermore, urea clearance behavior for CA/PVP membranes was 62.4% in comparison to 52% for pure CA membrane. The incorporation PVP i.e 1% by weight (Mpvp1) significantly improved the hydrophilicity, PWF, BSA rejection and urea clearance percentages of modified CA membrane for dialysis application.


Membranes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
Nkechi P. Nwafor ◽  
Richard M. Moutloali ◽  
Keneiloe Sikhwivhilu ◽  
Oluwole B. Familoni ◽  
Luqman A. Adams

Engineered nanoparticles are known to boost membrane performance in membrane technology. Hitherto, tunable properties that lead to improved hydrophilicity due to increased surface oxygen functionalities upon oxidation of petrol soot have not been fully exploited in membrane filtration technology. Herein, the integration of oxidized petrol soot nanoparticles (PSN) into polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes produced via phase inversion technique for dye removal in wastewater is reported. The nanoparticles, as well as the composite membranes, were characterized with diverse physicochemical methods, particularly TEM, SEM, BET, AFM, contact angle, etc. The effect of varying the ratio of PSN (0.05–1.0 wt %) on the properties of the composite membrane was evaluated. The composite membranes displayed increased hydrophilicity, enhanced pure water flux, and antifouling properties relative to the pristine membrane. For example, the obtained pure water flux increased from 130 L·m−2·h−1 for base membrane to 265 L·m−2·h−1 for the best composite membrane (M4). The best flux recovery ratio (FRR) observed for the membranes containing PSN was ca. 80% in contrast to 49% obtained with the pristine membrane indicative of the positive influence of PSN on membrane antifouling behavior. Furthermore, the PSN composite membranes displayed relatively selective anionic dye rejection of ˃95% for Congo red and between 50–71% for methyl orange compared with 42–96% rejection obtained for cationic methylene blue dye with increasing PSN content. The successful fabrication of polyethersulfone–PSN composite membranes by a simple blending process opens a novel route for the preparation of economical, functional, and scalable water purification membranes capable of addressing the complex issue of water remediation of organic azo dyes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 05023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kok Poh Wai ◽  
Chai Hoon Koo ◽  
Yean Ling Pang ◽  
Woon Chan Chong ◽  
Woei Jye Lau

Silver nanoparticles (NP) was successfully immobilized on polydopamine (PDA) supported polyethersulfone (PES) membrane via a redox reaction. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added into membrane dope solution as a pore-forming agent. Four pieces of membranes (M1, M2, M3 and M4) were fabricated with different active layer coatings to compare their morphological and performance properties. The differences between each sample were highlighted as follow: M1 (pristine PES), M2 (PES+PVP), M3 (PDA/PES+PVP) and M4 (Ag/PDA/PES+PVP). All membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and contact angle analysis. The membrane performance was examined using pure water permeability (PWP) test, antibacterial test and humic acid (HA) rejection test. Pristine M1 membrane showed that PWP of 27.16 LMH/bar and HA rejection of 84 %. In this study, it was found that the addition of PVP as a pore agent into the membrane M2 increased water flux but slightly deteriorated HA rejection. Coating of PDA on M3 and immobilizing silver NP on M4 membrane surface have improved HA rejection but compromised PWP. The results showed that membrane M4 carried excellent antibacterial property and highest HA rejection among all fabricated membranes.


Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
Nelisa Ncumisa Gaxela ◽  
Philiswa Nosizo Nomngongo ◽  
Richard Motlhaletsi Moutloali

The zwitterion poly-(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene-3-(dimethylamino)-1-propylamine) (p(MAO-DMPA)) synthesized using a ring-opening reaction was used as a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane modifier/additive during phase inversion process. The zwitterion was characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), FTIR, and contact angle measurements were taken for the membranes. The effect of the zwitterionization content on membrane performance indicators such as pure water flux, membrane fouling, and dye rejection was investigated. The morphology of the membranes showed that the increase in the zwitterion amount led to a general decrease in pore size with a concomitant increase in the number of membrane surface pores. The surface roughness was not particularly affected by the amount of the additive; however, the internal structure was greatly influenced, leading to varying rejection mechanisms for the larger dye molecule. On the other hand, the wettability of the membranes initially decreased with increasing content to a certain point and then increased as the membrane homogeneity changed at higher zwitterion percentages. Flux and fouling properties were enhanced through the addition of zwitterion compared to the pristine PVDF membrane. The high (>90%) rejection of anionic dye, Congo red, indicated that these membranes behaved as ultrafiltration (UF). In comparison, the cationic dye, rhodamine 6G, was only rejected to <70%, with rejection being predominantly electrostatic-based. This work shows that zwitterion addition imparted good membrane performance to PVDF membranes up to an optimum content whereby membrane homogeneity was compromised, leading to poor performance at its higher loading.


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