Preparation and characterization of highly hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride) – Clay nanocomposite nanofiber membranes (PVDF–clay NNMs) for desalination using direct contact membrane distillation

► Clay nanocomposites were blended and electrospun with PVDF to form MD membranes. ► The membrane surface contact angle increased as clay concentration increased. ► In DCMD mode, membranes with higher concentrations of clay showed higher flux. ► In 8h continuous testing conducted, no pore wetting ob...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of membrane science 2012-04, Vol.397-398, p.80-86
Main Authors: Prince, J.A., Singh, G., Rana, D., Matsuura, T., Anbharasi, V., Shanmugasundaram, T.S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
artificial membranes
Clay
contact angle
crystallization
desalination
differential scanning calorimetry
Direct contact membrane distillation
distillation
Electrospun nanofiber
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
hydrophobicity
melting point
Nanocomposite membrane
nanocomposites
nanofibers
Poly(vinylidene fluoride)
scanning electron microscopy
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Summary:► Clay nanocomposites were blended and electrospun with PVDF to form MD membranes. ► The membrane surface contact angle increased as clay concentration increased. ► In DCMD mode, membranes with higher concentrations of clay showed higher flux. ► In 8h continuous testing conducted, no pore wetting observed for some clay membranes. Electrospun nanofiber membranes consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blended with clay nanocomposites were prepared and tested in this paper for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) applications. Various compositions of PVDF–clay nanocomposite nanofiber membranes (NNMs) were prepared and characterized by water contact angle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy and investigated for DCMD. The incorporation of clay nanocomposites increase the hydrophobicity of the membranes, which increase as the concentration of clay nanocomposite increases in the mixture. The highest water contact angle achieved was 154.20±3.04°. The melting point of the PVDF–clay electrospun nanofiber membrane increases with the increasing concentration of clay indicating that the clay particles influence the crystallization process of the nanocomposite membrane. The PVDF–clay NNMs showed improved performance in DCMD applications and provide a way to prevent pore wetting in DCMD process.
ISSN:0376-7388
1873-3123
DOI:10.1016/j.memsci.2012.01.012