Poly(vinylidene difluoride) Membrane Assisted by Modified ZnO/ZIF Nanoparticles for Membrane Distillation

Abstract

Poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) polymeric membranes incorporated by synthesized hydrophobic agents were applied for membrane distillation. ZnO nanoparticles were modified with a silane coupling agent (n‐octyltriethoxysilane) and coupled by zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF)‐8 crystals. In particular, hydrophobic and porous membranes were prepared with ZIF crystals and modified ZnO/ZIF‐coupled nanoparticles. The influences of feed concentration and temperature of NaCl solution and seawater during filtration were evaluated. The hydrophobic modified membranes showed a higher permeate flux than pure PVDF membranes at different feed concentrations and feed temperatures. After modification, the porosity increased significantly and the contact angle became larger.

Investigation of Fouling Mechanisms Using Surface Morphology and Physicochemical Membrane Features

“…However, because of the desirable properties of the hydrophobic membranes such as high thermal and chemical stability, some researchers prefer to focus on the utilization of hydrophobic membranes and overcome their weaknesses through material modification , . Among the various modification methods, the incorporation of inorganic particles in the polymer matrix is preferable, due to the significant improvement imposed by the addition of nanoparticles in structural characteristic and antifouling improvement compared to the bare polymer .…”

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/PVDF‐g‐polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/TiO2 mixed matrix nanofiltration membranes: preparation and characterization

“…So far, various inorganic materials, e.g. SiO 2 , 26 SnO 2 , 27 Al 2 O 3 , 24 ZnO, 28,29 ZrO 2 30 and TiO 2 , 31 have been studied for incorporation into polymers, 32 among which TiO 2 has attracted the most attention arising from its good physical and chemical properties, availability and promising potential for applications such as water treatment 33 . Numerous studies have recently been performed on the fabrication of TiO 2 nano‐inorganic mixed matrix membranes to offer an approach for enhancing the membrane performance through reducing fouling and increasing hydrophilicity.…”

Direct Contact Membrane Distillation Applied to Colored Reactive or Disperse Dye Solutions

“…Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) is a thermally driven separation process, in which only vapor molecules are able to pass through a porous membrane. This separation process is driven by the vapor pressure difference existing between the membrane surfaces , . The nature of the driving force and the hydrophobic feature of the membrane reject theoretically 100 % of the nonvolatile solutes , such as textile dyes.…”