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Paul S, Bhoumick MC, Mitra S. Fouling Reduction and Thermal Efficiency Enhancement in Membrane Distillation Using a Bilayer-Fluorinated Alkyl Silane-Carbon Nanotube Membrane. MEMBRANES 2024; 14:152. [PMID: 39057660 PMCID: PMC11279159 DOI: 10.3390/membranes14070152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2024] [Revised: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
In this study, we report the robust hydrophobicity, lower fouling propensity, and high thermal efficiency of the 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane (FAS)-coated, carbon nanotube-immobilized membrane (CNIM) when applied to desalination via membrane distillation. Referred to as FAS-CNIM, the membrane was developed through a process that combined the drop-casting of nanotubes flowed by a dip coating of the FAS layer. The membranes were tested for porosity, surface morphology, thermal stability, contact angle, and flux. The static contact angle of the FAS-CNIM was 153 ± 1°, and the modified membrane showed enhancement in water flux by 18% compared to the base PTFE membrane. The flux was tested at different operating conditions and the fouling behavior was investigated under extreme conditions using a CaCO3 as well as a mixture of CaCO3 and CaSO4 solution. The FAS-CNIM showed significantly lower fouling than plain PTFE or the CNIM; the relative flux reduction was 34.4% and 37.6% lower than the control for the CaCO3 and CaCO3/CaSO4 mixed salt solution. The FAS-CNIM exhibited a notable decrease in specific energy consumption (SEC). Specifically, the SEC for the FAS-CNIM measured 311 kwh/m3 compared to 330.5 kwh/m3 for the CNIM and 354 kwh/m3 for PTFE using a mixture of CaCO3/CaSO4. This investigation underscores the significant contribution of the carbon nanotubes' (CNTs) intermediate layer in creating a durable superhydrophobic membrane, highlighting the potential of utilizing carbon nanotubes for tailored interface engineering to tackle fouling for salt mixtures. The innovative design of a superhydrophobic membrane has the potential to alleviate wetting issues resulting from low surface energy contaminants present in the feed of membrane distillation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Somenath Mitra
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (S.P.); (M.C.B.)
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Liu Y, Meng Z, Zou R, Zhu L, Wang X, Zhu M. Crosslinking and fluorination reinforced PTFE nanofibrous membrane with excellent amphiphobic performance for low-scaling membrane distillations. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121594. [PMID: 38615603 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Membrane distillation (MD) has emerged as a promising technology for desalination and concentration of hypersaline brine. However, the efficient preparation of a structurally stable and salinity-resistant membrane remains a significant challenge. In this study, an amphiphobic polytetrafluoroethylene nanofibrous membrane (PTFE NFM) with exceptional resistance to scaling has been developed, using an energy-efficient method. This innovative approach avoids the high-temperature sintering treatment, only involving electrospinning with PTFE/PVA emulsion and subsequent low-temperature crosslinking and fluorination. The impact of the PVA and PTFE contents, as well as the crosslinking and subsequent fluorination on the morphology and MD performance of the NFM, were systematically investigated. The optimized PTFE NFM displayed robust amphiphobicity, boasting a water contact angle of 155.2º and an oil contact angle of 132.7º. Moreover, the PTFE NFM exhibited stable steam flux of 52.1 L·m-2·h-1 and 26.7 L·m-2·h-1 when fed with 3.5 wt % and 25.0 wt % NaCl solutions, respectively, and an excellent salt rejection performance (99.99 %, ΔT = 60 °C) in a continuous operation for 24 h, showing exceptional anti-scaling performance. It also exhibited stable anti-wetting and anti-fouling properties against surfactants (sodium dodecyl sulfate) and hydrophobic contaminants (diesel oil). These results underscore the significant potential of the PTFE nanofibrous membrane for practical applications in desalination, especially in hypersaline or polluted aqueous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Zheyi Meng
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China; Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory, Quanzhou 362801, China.
| | - Rujia Zou
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Liping Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China; Qingyuan Innovation Laboratory, Quanzhou 362801, China.
| | - Xuefen Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Meifang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China.
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Manouchehri M. A comprehensive review on state-of-the-art antifouling super(wetting and anti-wetting) membranes for oily wastewater treatment. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 323:103073. [PMID: 38160525 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2023.103073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
One of the most dangerous types of pollution to the environment is oily wastewater, which is produced from a number of industrial sources and can cause damage to the environment, people, and creatures. To overcome this issue, membrane technology as an advanced method has been considered for treating oily wastewater due to its stability, high removal efficiency, and simplicity in scaling up. Membrane fouling, or the accumulation of oil droplets at or within the membrane pores, compromises the efficiency of membrane separation and water flux. In the last decade, the fabrication of membranes with specific wettability to reduce fouling has received much consideration. The purpose of this article is to offer a literature overview of all fabricated anti-fouling super(wetting and anti-wetting) membranes for applicable membrane processes for the separation of immiscible and emulsified oil/water mixtures. In this review, we first explain membrane fouling and discuss methods for preventing it. Afterwards, in all membrane separation processes, including pressure-driven, gravity-driven, and thermal-driven, membranes based on the form and density of oil are categorized as oil-removing or water-removing with special wettability, and then their wettability modification with different materials is particularly discussed. Finally, the prospect of anti-fouling membrane fabrication in the future is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massoumeh Manouchehri
- Department of Chemical Engineering, South Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
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Paul S, Rao L, Stein LH, Salemi A, Mitra S. Development of a Carbon Nanotube-Enhanced FAS Bilayer Amphiphobic Coating for Biological Fluids. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:3138. [PMID: 38133035 PMCID: PMC10745810 DOI: 10.3390/nano13243138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
This study reports the development of a novel amphiphobic coating. The coating is a bilayer arrangement, where carbon nanotubes (CNTs) form the underlayer and fluorinated alkyl-silane (FAS) forms the overlayer, resulting in the development of highly amphiphobic coatings suitable for a wide range of substrates. The effectiveness of these coatings is demonstrated through enhanced contact angles for water and artificial blood plasma fluid on glass, stainless steel, and porous PTFE. The coatings were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and contact angle (CA) measurements. The water contact angles achieved with the bilayer coating were 106 ± 2°, 116 ± 2°, and 141 ± 2° for glass, stainless steel, and PTFE, respectively, confirming the hydrophobic nature of the coating. Additionally, the coating displayed high repellency for blood plasma, exhibiting contact angles of 102 ± 2°, 112 ± 2°, and 134 ± 2° on coated glass, stainless steel, and PTFE surfaces, respectively. The presence of the CNT underlayer improved plasma contact angles by 29%, 21.7%, and 16.5% for the respective surfaces. The presence of the CNT layer improved surface roughness significantly, and the average roughness of the bilayer coating on glass, stainless steel, and PTFE was measured to be 488 nm, 301 nm, and 274 nm, respectively. Mechanistically, the CNT underlayer contributed to the surface roughness, while the FAS layer provided high amphiphobicity. The maximum effect was observed on modified glass, followed by stainless steel and PTFE surfaces. These findings highlight the promising potential of this coating method across diverse applications, particularly in the biomedical industry, where it can help mitigate complications associated with device-fluid interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumona Paul
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 161 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (S.P.); (L.R.)
| | - Lingfen Rao
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 161 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (S.P.); (L.R.)
| | - Louis H. Stein
- Northern Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, RWJBarnabas Health, 94 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039, USA; (L.H.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Arash Salemi
- Northern Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, RWJBarnabas Health, 94 Old Short Hills Road, Livingston, NJ 07039, USA; (L.H.S.); (A.S.)
- Department of Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, 185 S Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Somenath Mitra
- Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology, 161 Warren Street, Newark, NJ 07102, USA; (S.P.); (L.R.)
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Zhang H, Zhao X. Enhanced Anti-Wetting Methods of Hydrophobic Membrane for Membrane Distillation. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2300598. [PMID: 37219004 PMCID: PMC10427381 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Increasing issues of hydrophobic membrane wetting occur in the membrane distillation (MD) process, stimulating the research on enhanced anti-wetting methods for membrane materials. In recent years, surface structural construction (i.e., constructing reentrant-like structures), surface chemical modification (i.e., coating organofluorides), and their combination have significantly improved the anti-wetting properties of the hydrophobic membranes. Besides, these methods change the MD performance (i.e., increased/decreased vapor flux and increased salt rejection). This review first introduces the characterization parameters of wettability and the fundamental principles of membrane surface wetting. Then it summarizes the enhanced anti-wetting methods, the related principles, and most importantly, the anti-wetting properties of the resultant membranes. Next, the MD performance of hydrophobic membranes prepared by different enhanced anti-wetting methods is discussed in desalinating different feeds. Finally, facile and reproducible strategies are aspired for the robust MD membrane in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglong Zhang
- Lab of Environmental Science & TechnologyINETTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084P. R. China
| | - Xuan Zhao
- Lab of Environmental Science & TechnologyINETTsinghua UniversityBeijing100084P. R. China
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Chang Y, Liu F. Review of Waterproof Breathable Membranes: Preparation, Performance and Applications in the Textile Field. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:5339. [PMID: 37570043 PMCID: PMC10419557 DOI: 10.3390/ma16155339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Waterproof breathable membranes (WBMs) characterized by a specific internal structure, allowing air and water vapor to be transferred from one side to the other while preventing liquid water penetration, have attracted much attention from researchers. WBMs combine lamination and other technologies with textile materials to form waterproof breathable fabrics, which play a key role in outdoor sports clothing, medical clothing, military clothing, etc. Herein, a systematic overview of the recent progress of WBMs is provided, including the principles of waterproofness and breathability, common preparation methods and the applications of WBMs. Discussion starts with the waterproof and breathable mechanisms of two different membranes: hydrophilic non-porous membranes and hydrophobic microporous membranes. Then evaluation criteria and common preparation methods for WBMs are presented. In addition, treatment processes that promote water vapor transmission and prominent applications in the textile field are comprehensively analyzed. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of WBMs are also explored.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fujuan Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Modern Silk, College of Textile and Clothing Engineering, Soochow University, 199 Ren-Ai Road, Suzhou 215123, China;
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He W, Fan S, Liu G, Zhou L, Chai L, Zhu H, Li C, Yu B. Preparation and properties of poly (vinylidene fluoride) membrane with inverse opal-like structure. Sep Purif Technol 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Zhang Y, Chong JY, Zhao Y, Xu R, Asakawa A, Wang R. Facile hydrophobic modification of hydrophilic membranes by fluoropolymer coating for direct contact membrane distillation. J Memb Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Fluoropolymer Membranes for Membrane Distillation and Membrane Crystallization. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14245439. [PMID: 36559805 PMCID: PMC9782556 DOI: 10.3390/polym14245439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluoropolymer membranes are applied in membrane operations such as membrane distillation and membrane crystallization where hydrophobic porous membranes act as a physical barrier separating two phases. Due to their hydrophobic nature, only gaseous molecules are allowed to pass through the membrane and are collected on the permeate side, while the aqueous solution cannot penetrate. However, these two processes suffer problems such as membrane wetting, fouling or scaling. Membrane wetting is a common and undesired phenomenon, which is caused by the loss of hydrophobicity of the porous membrane employed. This greatly affects the mass transfer efficiency and separation efficiency. Simultaneously, membrane fouling occurs, along with membrane wetting and scaling, which greatly reduces the lifespan of the membranes. Therefore, strategies to improve the hydrophobicity of membranes have been widely investigated by researchers. In this direction, hydrophobic fluoropolymer membrane materials are employed more and more for membrane distillation and membrane crystallization thanks to their high chemical and thermal resistance. This paper summarizes different preparation methods of these fluoropolymer membrane, such as non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS), thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS), vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS), etc. Hydrophobic modification methods, including surface coating, surface grafting and blending, etc., are also introduced. Moreover, the research advances on the application of less toxic solvents for preparing these membranes are herein reviewed. This review aims to provide guidance to researchers for their future membrane development in membrane distillation and membrane crystallization, using fluoropolymer materials.
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PTFE porous membrane technology: A comprehensive review. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.121115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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Xu H, Zhang Q, Song N, Chen J, Ding M, Mei C, Zong Y, Chen X, Gao L. Membrane distillation by novel Janus-enhanced membrane featuring hydrophobic-hydrophilic dual-surface for freshwater recovery. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.122036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Xie S, Pang Z, Hou C, Wong NH, Sunarso J, Peng Y. One-step preparation of omniphobic membrane with concurrent anti-scaling and anti-wetting properties for membrane distillation. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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