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Membranes
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Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies
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Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 29240

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tan Yong Zen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637459, Singapore
Interests: membrane separation technology; membrane distillation; surface modification; photothermal materials; electrothermal materials; ligand synthesis; and polymer synthesis.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of membrane separation technologies has provided solutions and improved separation and purification of liquids, vapors and gases, for use in a plethora of fields, from desalination and wastewater treatment to carbon capture and hydrogen purification. The key to an effective and efficient membrane separation process lies in the interaction between the feed fluid and the material of or on the membranes or membrane support structures. This fluid and material interface is where most of the mass and heat (in thermal-driven membrane processes) transfer takes place, making performance enhancement of membrane separation technologies inseparable from the surface modification of membranes and membrane support structures.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue on Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies. It focuses on surface modification of membranes and membrane support structures (i.e., spacers, woven or non-woven supports) to enhance performance of membrane separation in liquids, vapors and gases.

This Special Issue aims to provide insights into the selection and optimization of the materials used for the surface modification of the membranes and membrane support structures, as well as the underlying principles of how the surface modification improves the performance of the membrane separation processes. We welcome papers related to the surface modification of membranes and membrane support structures to enhance membrane separation processes by improving flux and/or selectivity, mitigating fouling, improving cycle performance, etc. Computational analysis explaining fluid surface interactions in membrane separation processes would also make a great addition to this Special Issue.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: membrane separations, surface modification, computational fluid dynamics, molecular dynamics simulations, and polymer and ceramic chemistry.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Tan Yong Zen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Membrane separations
  • Surface modification
  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Molecular dynamics simulations
  • Flux enhancement
  • Selectivity enhancement
  • Fouling mitigation
  • Cycle performance

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

19 pages, 5124 KiB  
Article
Automated Liquid–Liquid Displacement Porometry (LLDP) for the Non-Destructive Characterization of Ultrapure Water Purification Filtration Devices
by René I. Peinador, Daniel Darbouret, Christophe Paragot and José I. Calvo
Membranes 2023, 13(7), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13070660 - 11 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1885
Abstract
This scientific publication presents a novel modification of the liquid–liquid displacement porosimetry (LLDP) method, aiming for the non-destructive automated analysis of water purification membrane filtration devices in the microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) range. The technical adaptation of LLDP enables the direct in-line [...] Read more.
This scientific publication presents a novel modification of the liquid–liquid displacement porosimetry (LLDP) method, aiming for the non-destructive automated analysis of water purification membrane filtration devices in the microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) range. The technical adaptation of LLDP enables the direct in-line porosimetric analysis of commercial filtration devices, avoiding the filtration devices’ destruction. Six commercially available filtration devices with polyethersulfone (PES) and polysulfone (PS) membranes were studied using an improved device developed by the IFTS, which was based on a commercial LLDP instrument. The filtration devices were evaluated in three different configurations: flat disks, hollow fibers, and pleated membranes. The results obtained using the proposed method were compared with other characterization techniques, including submicronic efficiency retention, image analysis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gas–liquid displacement porosimetry (GLDP). The comparison of the results demonstrated that the proposed method accurately determined the porosimetric characteristics of the filters. It proved to be a precise technique for the non-destructive in-line evaluation of filter performance, as well as for periodic quality control and the fouling degree assessment of commercial filtration devices. This modified LLDP approach offers significant potential for the advanced characterization and quality assessment of water purification membrane filtration devices, contributing to improved understanding and optimization of their performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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19 pages, 4879 KiB  
Article
Impact of Physical and Chemical Modification of the Surface of Porous Al2O3 Ceramic Membranes on the Quality of Transferred HSMG® and CVD Graphene
by Aleksandra Bednarek, Konrad Dybowski, Grzegorz Romaniak, Jacek Grabarczyk, Witold Kaczorowski and Anna Sobczyk-Guzenda
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030319 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1947
Abstract
Graphene transfer onto ceramics, like Si/SiO2, is well-developed and described in the literature. However, it is problematic for other ceramic materials (e.g., Al2O3 and ZrO2), especially porous ones. In this case, it is mainly due to [...] Read more.
Graphene transfer onto ceramics, like Si/SiO2, is well-developed and described in the literature. However, it is problematic for other ceramic materials (e.g., Al2O3 and ZrO2), especially porous ones. In this case, it is mainly due to poor adhesion to the substrate, resulting in strong degradation of the graphene. For these reasons, the research topic of this study was undertaken. This article presents research on the development of the methodology of graphene transfer onto ceramic Al2O3 surfaces. Polycrystalline graphene chemical vapour deposition (CVD) monolayer and quasimonocrystalline high-strength metallurgical graphene (HSMG®) synthesised on liquid copper were used. When developing the transfer methodology, the focus was on solving the problem of graphene adhesion to the surface of this type of ceramic, and thus reducing the degree of graphene deterioration at the stage of producing a ceramic–graphene composite, which stands in the way of its practical use. Plasma and chemical ceramic surface modification were applied to change its hydrophobicity, and thus to improve the adhesion between the graphene and ceramic. The modification included the use of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma, oxygen plasma (RF PACVD method - Radio Frequency Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition), and hydrofluoric acid treatment. Changes in surface properties caused by the modifications were determined by measuring the contact angle and (in the case of chemical modification) measuring the degree of surface development. The effectiveness of the applied surface preparation methodology was evaluated based on the damage degree of CVD and HSMG® graphene layer transferred onto modified Al2O3 using optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The best average ID/IG ratio for the transferred HSMG® graphene was obtained after oxygen plasma modification (0.63 ± 0.18) and for CVD, graphene DBD plasma was the most appropriate method (0.17 ± 0.09). The total area of graphene defects after transfer to Al2O3 was the smallest for HSMG® graphene after modification with O2 plasma (0.251 mm2/cm2), and for CVD graphene after surface modification with DBD plasma (0.083 mm2/cm2). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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20 pages, 3536 KiB  
Article
Stability of Superhydrophobicity and Structure of PVDF Membranes Treated by Vacuum Oxygen Plasma and Organofluorosilanisation
by Ramón Jiménez-Robles, Marta Izquierdo, Vicente Martínez-Soria, Laura Martí, Alicia Monleón and José David Badia
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030314 - 9 Mar 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2913
Abstract
Superhydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes were obtained by a surface treatment consisting of oxygen plasma activation followed by functionalisation with a mixture of silica precursor (SiP) (tetraethyl-orthosilicate [TEOS] or 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propylamine [APTES]) and a fluoroalkylsilane (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane), and were benchmarked with coated membranes without plasma [...] Read more.
Superhydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes were obtained by a surface treatment consisting of oxygen plasma activation followed by functionalisation with a mixture of silica precursor (SiP) (tetraethyl-orthosilicate [TEOS] or 3-(triethoxysilyl)-propylamine [APTES]) and a fluoroalkylsilane (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane), and were benchmarked with coated membranes without plasma activation. The modifications acted mainly on the surface, and the bulk properties remained stable. From a statistical design of experiments on surface hydrophobicity, the type of SiP was the most relevant factor, achieving the highest water contact angles (WCA) with the use of APTES, with a maximum WCA higher than 155° for membranes activated at a plasma power discharge of 15 W during 15 min, without membrane degradation. Morphological changes were observed on the membrane surfaces treated under these plasma conditions, showing a pillar-like structure with higher surface porosity. In long-term stability tests under moderate water flux conditions, the WCA of coated membranes which were not activated by oxygen plasma decreased to approximately 120° after the first 24 h (similar to the pristine membrane), whilst the WCA of plasma-treated membranes was maintained around 130° after 160 h. Thus, plasma pre-treatment led to membranes with a superhydrophobic performance and kept a higher hydrophobicity after long-term operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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14 pages, 2308 KiB  
Article
Outstanding Separation Performance of Oil-in-Water Emulsions with TiO2/CNT Nanocomposite-Modified PVDF Membranes
by Laura Fekete, Ákos Ferenc Fazekas, Cecilia Hodúr, Zsuzsanna László, Áron Ágoston, László Janovák, Tamás Gyulavári, Zsolt Pap, Klara Hernadi and Gábor Veréb
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020209 - 8 Feb 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1932
Abstract
Membrane filtration is an effective technique for separating micro- and nano-sized oil droplets from harmful oil-contaminated waters produced by numerous industrial activities. However, significant flux reduction discourages the extensive application of this technology; therefore, developing antifouling membranes is necessary. For this purpose, various [...] Read more.
Membrane filtration is an effective technique for separating micro- and nano-sized oil droplets from harmful oil-contaminated waters produced by numerous industrial activities. However, significant flux reduction discourages the extensive application of this technology; therefore, developing antifouling membranes is necessary. For this purpose, various titanium dioxide/carbon nanotube (TiO2/CNT) nanocomposites (containing 1, 2, and 5 wt.% multi-walled CNTs) were used for the modification of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafilter (250 kDa) membrane surfaces. The effects of surface modifications were compared in relation to the flux, the filtration resistance, the flux recovery ratio, and the purification efficiency. TiO2/CNT2% composite modification reduced both irreversible and total filtration resistances the most during the filtration of 100 ppm oil emulsions. The fluxes were approximately 4–7 times higher compared to the unmodified PVDF membrane, depending on the used transmembrane pressure (510, 900, and 1340 L/m2h fluxes were measured at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 MPa pressures, respectively). Moreover, the flux recovery ratio (up to 68%) and the purification efficiency (95.1–99.8%) were also significantly higher because of the surface modification, and the beneficial effects were more dominant at higher transmembrane pressures. TiO2/CNT2% nanocomposites are promising to be applied to modify membranes used for oil–water separation and achieve outstanding flux, cleanability, and purification efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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13 pages, 3778 KiB  
Article
Janus Distillation Membrane via Mussel-Inspired Inkjet Printing Modification for Anti-Oil Fouling Membrane Distillation
by Morteza Afsari, Myoung Jun Park, Noel Jacob Kaleekkal, Mxolisi M. Motsa, Ho Kyong Shon and Leonard Tijing
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 191; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020191 - 3 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1758
Abstract
In this work, inkjet printing technology was used to print a thin layer of a hydrophilic solution containing polydopamine as a binder and polyethyleneimine as a strong hydrophilic agent on a commercial hydrophobic membrane to produce a Janus membrane for membrane distillation. The [...] Read more.
In this work, inkjet printing technology was used to print a thin layer of a hydrophilic solution containing polydopamine as a binder and polyethyleneimine as a strong hydrophilic agent on a commercial hydrophobic membrane to produce a Janus membrane for membrane distillation. The pristine and modified membranes were tested in a direct-contact membrane distillation system with mineral oil-containing feedwater. The results revealed that an integrated and homogenous hydrophilic layer was printed on the membrane with small intrusions in the pores. The membrane, which contained three layers of inkjet-printed hydrophilic layers, showed a high underwater oil contact angle and a low in-air water contact angle. One-layer inkjet printing was not robust enough, but the triple-layer coated modified membrane maintained its anti-oil fouling performance even for a feed solution containing 70 g/L NaCl and 0.01 v/v% mineral oil concentration with a flux of around 20 L/m2h. This study implies the high potential of the inkjet printing technique as a facile surface modification strategy to improve membrane performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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12 pages, 4728 KiB  
Article
Carboxylated Graphene Oxide (c-GO) Embedded ThermoPlastic Polyurethane (TPU) Mixed Matrix Membrane with Improved Physicochemical Characteristics
by Muhammad Zahid, Maryam Saeeda, Nimra Nadeem, Hafiz Muhammad Fayzan Shakir, Waleed A. El-Saoud, Osama A. Attala, Kamal A. Attia and Zulfiqar Ahmad Rehan
Membranes 2023, 13(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020144 - 22 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2267
Abstract
Water is an important component of our life. However, the unavailability of fresh water and its contamination are emerging problems. The textile industries are the major suppliers of contamination of water, producing high concentrations of heavy metals and hazardous dyes posing serious health [...] Read more.
Water is an important component of our life. However, the unavailability of fresh water and its contamination are emerging problems. The textile industries are the major suppliers of contamination of water, producing high concentrations of heavy metals and hazardous dyes posing serious health hazards. Several technologies for water purification are available in the market. Among them, the membrane technology is a highly advantageous and facile strategy to remediate wastewater. Herein, the distinguished combination of pore-forming agents, solvent, and nanoparticles has been used to achieve improved functioning of the polymeric composite membranes. To do so, graphene oxide (GO) was fabricated via Hummer’s technique and GO functionalization using chloroacetic acid (c-GO) was performed. Thermoplastic polyurathane (TPU) membranes having different concentrations c-GO were made using the phase inversion technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to examine surface morphology, chemical functionalities on membranes surfaces, and crystallinity of membranes, respectively. The temperature-dependent behavior of c-GO composite membranes has been analyzed using DSC technique. The water contact angle measurements were performed for the estimation of hydrophilicity of the c-GO based TPU membrane. The improved water permeability of the composite membrane was observed with increasing the c-GO concentration in polymeric membranes. c-GO was observed as a potential candidate that enhanced membrane physicochemical properties. The proposed membranes can behave as efficient candidates in multiple domains of environmental remediation. Furthermore, the improved dye rejection characteristics of proposed composite membranes suggest that the membranes can be best suited for wastewater treatment as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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25 pages, 10869 KiB  
Article
Comparison of the Electrodialysis Performance in Tartrate Stabilization of a Red Wine Using Aliphatic and Aromatic Commercial and Modified Ion-Exchange Membranes
by Evgeniia Pasechnaya, Kseniia Tsygurina, Maria Ponomar, Daria Chuprynina, Victor Nikonenko and Natalia Pismenskaya
Membranes 2023, 13(1), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13010084 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2114
Abstract
The application of electrodialysis for tartrate stabilization and reagent-free acidity correction of wine and juices is attracting increasing interest. New aliphatic membranes CJMC-3 and CJMA-3 and aromatic membranes CSE and ASE were tested to determine their suitability for use in these electrodialysis processes [...] Read more.
The application of electrodialysis for tartrate stabilization and reagent-free acidity correction of wine and juices is attracting increasing interest. New aliphatic membranes CJMC-3 and CJMA-3 and aromatic membranes CSE and ASE were tested to determine their suitability for use in these electrodialysis processes and to evaluate the fouling of these membranes by wine components for a short (6–8 h) operating time. Using IR spectroscopy, optical indication and measurement of surface contact angles, the chemical composition of the studied membranes, as well as some details about their fouling by wine components, was clarified. The current–voltage charsacteristics, conductivity and water-splitting capacity of the membranes before and after electrodialysis were analyzed. We found that in the case of cation-exchange membranes, complexes of anthocyanins with metal ions penetrate into the bulk (CJMC-3) or are localized on the surface (CSE), depending on the degree of crosslinking of the polymer matrix. Adsorption of wine components by the surface of anion-exchange membranes CJMA-3 and ASE causes an increase in water splitting. Despite fouling under identical conditions of electrodialysis, membrane pair CJMC-3 and CJMA-3 provided 18 ± 1 tartrate recovery with 31 · 10−3 energy consumption, whereas CSE and ASE provided 20 ± 1% tartrate recovery with an energy consumption of 28 · 10−3 Wh, in addition to reducing the conductivity of wine by 20 ± 1%. The casting of aliphatic polyelectrolyte films on the surface of aromatic membranes reduces fouling with a relatively small increase in energy consumption and approximately the same degree of tartrate recovery compared to pristine CSE and ASE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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21 pages, 8581 KiB  
Article
Permeate Flux Enhancement in Air Gap Membrane Distillation Modules with Inserting Λ-Ribs Carbon-Fiber Open Slots
by Chii-Dong Ho, Luke Chen, Yan-Ling Yang, Shih-Ting Chen, Jun Wei Lim and Zheng-Zhong Chen
Membranes 2023, 13(1), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13010066 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2341
Abstract
A novel design of an air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) module was proposed to enhance the permeate flux improvement for the desalination of pure water productivity. The modeling equations for predicting permeate flux in the AGMD module by inserting Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open [...] Read more.
A novel design of an air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) module was proposed to enhance the permeate flux improvement for the desalination of pure water productivity. The modeling equations for predicting permeate flux in the AGMD module by inserting Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open slots under various hydrodynamic angles were developed theoretically and experimentally. The temperature distributions of both hot and cold feed streams were represented graphically with the hot saline flow rate, inlet saline temperature, and carbon-fiber hydrodynamic angles as parameters. The results showed a good agreement between the experimental results and theoretical predictions. Designed by inserting Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open slots into the flow channel, the membrane distillation module was implemented to act as an eddy promoter and yield an augmented turbulence flow. The effect of Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open slots not only assured the membrane stability by preventing vibration but also increased the permeate flux by diminishing the temperature polarization of the thermal boundary layer. The permeate flux improvement by inserting Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open slots in the AGMD module provided the maximum relative increment of up to 15.6% due to the diminution of the concentration polarization effect. The experimental data was incorporated with the hydrodynamic angle of Λ-ribs carbon-fiber open slots to correlate the enhancement factor with the Nusselt numbers to confirm the theoretical predictions. The accuracy derivation between the experimental results and theoretical predictions was pretty good, within 9.95≤E≤1.85. The effects of operating and designing parameters of hot saline flow rate, inlet saline temperature, and hydrodynamic angle on the permeate flux were also delineated by considering both the power consumption increment and permeate flux enhancement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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12 pages, 5935 KiB  
Article
Smart Superhydrophobic Filter Paper for Water/Oil Separation and Unidirectional Transportation of Liquid Droplet
by Yu-Ping Zhang, Ning Wang, De-Liang Chen, Yuan Chen, Meng-Jun Chen and Xin-Xin Chen
Membranes 2022, 12(12), 1188; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes12121188 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2272
Abstract
Water/oil separation from their mixture and emulsion has been a prominent topic in fundamental research and in practical applications. In this work, a smart superhydrophobic membrane (SHP) was obtained by dipping an off-the-shelf laboratory filter paper in an ethanol suspension of trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluoro-n-octyl) [...] Read more.
Water/oil separation from their mixture and emulsion has been a prominent topic in fundamental research and in practical applications. In this work, a smart superhydrophobic membrane (SHP) was obtained by dipping an off-the-shelf laboratory filter paper in an ethanol suspension of trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-tridecafluoro-n-octyl) silane, tetraethyl orthosilicate, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles with different dimensions of 20 and 100 nm. The selection of membrane substrates was optimized including different quantitative and quantitative filter papers with different filtration velocity (slow, intermediate, and fast). The as-prepared SHP was demonstrated to be superhydrophobic and photosensitive, which was used in the separation of carbon tetrachloride and water from their mixture and emulsion. Moreover, orderly aligned micropores were formed for the modified superhydrophobic filter papers by using nanosecond laser. Unidirectional penetration was obtained for the UV-irradiated paper with a bored pore in the range of 50–500 μm in the systems of air/water and water/oil. This study may promote the understanding of unidirectional transportation of liquid droplet and facilitate the design of interfacial materials with Janus-type wettability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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Review

Jump to: Research

27 pages, 9947 KiB  
Review
Progress on Improved Fouling Resistance-Nanofibrous Membrane for Membrane Distillation: A Mini-Review
by Yong Zen Tan, Nur Hashimah Alias, Mohd Haiqal Abd Aziz, Juhana Jaafar, Faten Ermala Che Othman and Jia Wei Chew
Membranes 2023, 13(8), 727; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13080727 - 11 Aug 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1903
Abstract
Nanofibrous membranes for membrane distillation (MD) have demonstrated promising results in treating various water and wastewater streams. Significant progress has been made in recent decades because of the development of sophisticated membrane materials, such as superhydrophobic, omniphobic and Janus membranes. However, fouling and [...] Read more.
Nanofibrous membranes for membrane distillation (MD) have demonstrated promising results in treating various water and wastewater streams. Significant progress has been made in recent decades because of the development of sophisticated membrane materials, such as superhydrophobic, omniphobic and Janus membranes. However, fouling and wetting remain crucial issues for long-term operation. This mini-review summarizes ideas as well as their limitations in understanding the fouling in membrane distillation, comprising organic, inorganic and biofouling. This review also provides progress in developing antifouling nanofibrous membranes for membrane distillation and ongoing modifications on nanofiber membranes for improved membrane distillation performance. Lastly, challenges and future ways to develop antifouling nanofiber membranes for MD application have been systematically elaborated. The present mini-review will interest scientists and engineers searching for the progress in MD development and its solutions to the MD fouling issues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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36 pages, 5629 KiB  
Review
Lyotropic Liquid Crystal (LLC)-Templated Nanofiltration Membranes by Precisely Administering LLC/Substrate Interfacial Structure
by Senlin Gu, Liangliang Zhang, Liliana de Campo, Luke A. O’Dell, Dong Wang, Guang Wang and Lingxue Kong
Membranes 2023, 13(6), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13060549 - 24 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1855
Abstract
Mesoporous materials based on lyotropic liquid crystal templates with precisely defined and flexible nanostructures offer an alluring solution to the age-old challenge of water scarcity. In contrast, polyamide (PA)-based thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have long been hailed as the state of the art [...] Read more.
Mesoporous materials based on lyotropic liquid crystal templates with precisely defined and flexible nanostructures offer an alluring solution to the age-old challenge of water scarcity. In contrast, polyamide (PA)-based thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have long been hailed as the state of the art in desalination. They grapple with a common trade-off between permeability and selectivity. However, the tides are turning as these novel materials, with pore sizes ranging from 0.2 to 5 nm, take center stage as highly coveted active layers in TFC membranes. With the ability to regulate water transport and influence the formation of the active layer, the middle porous substrate of TFC membranes becomes an essential player in unlocking their true potential. This review delves deep into the recent advancements in fabricating active layers using lyotropic liquid crystal templates on porous substrates. It meticulously analyzes the retention of the liquid crystal phase structure, explores the membrane fabrication processes, and evaluates the water filtration performance. Additionally, it presents an exhaustive comparison between the effects of substrates on both polyamide and lyotropic liquid crystal template top layer-based TFC membranes, covering crucial aspects such as surface pore structures, hydrophilicity, and heterogeneity. To push the boundaries even further, the review explores a diverse array of promising strategies for surface modification and interlayer introduction, all aimed at achieving an ideal substrate surface design. Moreover, it delves into the realm of cutting-edge techniques for detecting and unraveling the intricate interfacial structures between the lyotropic liquid crystal and the substrate. This review is a passport to unravel the enigmatic world of lyotropic liquid crystal-templated TFC membranes and their transformative role in global water challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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22 pages, 2982 KiB  
Review
Modified Electrospun Membranes Using Different Nanomaterials for Membrane Distillation
by Muzamil Khatri, Lijo Francis and Nidal Hilal
Membranes 2023, 13(3), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13030338 - 14 Mar 2023
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4969
Abstract
Obtaining fresh drinking water is a challenge directly related to the change in agricultural, industrial, and societal demands and pressure. Therefore, the sustainable treatment of saline water to get clean water is a major requirement for human survival. In this review, we have [...] Read more.
Obtaining fresh drinking water is a challenge directly related to the change in agricultural, industrial, and societal demands and pressure. Therefore, the sustainable treatment of saline water to get clean water is a major requirement for human survival. In this review, we have detailed the use of electrospun nanofiber-based membranes (ENMs) for water reclamation improvements with respect to physical and chemical modifications. Although membrane distillation (MD) has been considered a low-cost water reclamation process, especially with the availability of low-grade waste heat sources, significant improvements are still required in terms of preparing efficient membranes with enhanced water flux, anti-fouling, and anti-scaling characteristics. In particular, different types of nanomaterials have been explored as guest molecules for electrospinning with different polymers. Nanomaterials such as metallic organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites, dioxides, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), etc., have opened unprecedented perspectives for the implementation of the MD process. The integration of nanofillers gives appropriate characteristics to the MD membranes by changing their chemical and physical properties, which significantly enhances energy efficiency without impacting the economic costs. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art status, the opportunities, open challenges, and pitfalls of the emerging field of modified ENMs using different nanomaterials for desalination applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Modification and Performance Enhancement in Membrane Separation Technologies)
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