Fabrication and photocatalytic activity of TiO2 composite membranes via simultaneous electrospinning and electrospraying process

In present study, a simultaneous electrospinning and electrospraying(SEE) process was employed to produce microclusters of TiO_2 nanoparticles and interlock them in nanofibrous network. The photocatalytic composite membranes(PCMs) were fabricated by electrospraying TiO_2 nanoparticle suspension into microcluster form that dispersed and entrapped within nylon-6 electrospun fiber membrane. Three PCMs membrane with TiO_2 content of 52.0, 83.6,and 91.7 wt.% were successfully fabricated. The membrane consisted of TiO_2 microclusters,ranging in sizes from around 0.3 to 10 μm, distributed uniformly within the nylon-6 nanofibrous network. PCMs photocatalytic activity against Methylene Blue(MB) in aqueous solution showed more than 98% MB removal efficiency after 120 min of photocatalytic oxidation(PCO) for all PCMs. For PCM with the highest TiO_2 content tested for 5 PCO cycles, it was found that most of their TiO_2 content remained incorporated within the nanofibrous structure. The concept of nanoparticles clusters entrapment with SEE fabrication employed here provide a simple and effective method for reducing detachment of nanostructure phase from nanocomposite membrane.     

Effect of non-solvent additives on the morphology, pore structure, and direct contact membrane distillation performance of PVDF-CTFE hydrophobic membranes

Four common types of additives for polymer membrane preparation including organic macromolecule and micromolecule additives, inorganic salts and acids, and the strong non-solvent H2 O were used to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene)(PVDF-CTFE) hydrophobic flat-sheet membranes. Membrane properties including morphology, porosity, hydrophobicity, pore size and pore distribution were investigated, and the permeability was evaluated via direct contact membrane distillation(DCMD) of 3.5 g/L Na Cl solution in a DCMD configuration. Both inorganic and organic micromolecule additives were found to slightly influence membrane hydrophobicity. Polyethylene glycol(PEG),organic acids, Li Cl, Mg Cl2, and Li Cl/H2 O mixtures were proved to be effective additives to PVDF-CTFE membranes due to their pore-controlling effects and the capacity to improve the properties and performance of the resultant membranes. The occurrence of a pre-gelation process showed that when organic and inorganic micromolecules were added to PVDF-CTFE solution, the resultant membranes presented a high interconnectivity structure. The membrane prepared with dibutyl phthalate(DBP) showed a nonporous surface and symmetrical cross-section. When H2 O and Li Cl/H2 O mixtures were also used as additives, they were beneficial for solid–liquid demixing, especially when Li Cl/H2 O mixed additives were used. The membrane prepared with 5% Li Cl + 2% H2 O achieved a flux of24.53 kg/(m2·hr) with 99.98% salt rejection. This study is expected to offer a reference not only for PVDF-CTFE membrane preparation but also for other polymer membranes.     

Modifying glass fiber surface with grafting acrylamide by UV-grafting copolymerization for preparation of glass fiber reinforced PVDF composite membrane

Experimental design and response surface methodology(RSM) were used to optimize the modification of conditions for glass surface grafting with acrylamide(AM) monomer for preparation of a glass fiber reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF) composite membrane(GFRP-CM). The factors considered for experimental design were the UV(ultraviolet)-irradiation time, the concentrations of the initiator and solvent, and the kinds and concentrations of the silane coupling agent. The optimum operating conditions determined were UV-irradiation time of 25 min, an initiator concentration of 0–0.25 wt.%,solvent of N-Dimethylacetamide(DMAC), and silane coupling agent KH570 with a concentration of 7 wt.%. The obtained optimal parameters were located in the valid region and the experimental confirmation tests conducted showed good accordance between predicted and experimental values. Under these optimal conditions, the water absorption of the grafted modified glass fiber was improved from 13.6% to 23%; the tensile strength was enhanced and the peeling strength of the glass fiber reinforced PVDF composite membrane was improved by 23.7% and 32.6% with an AM concentration at 1 wt.% and 2 wt.%. The surface composition and microstructure of AM grafted glass fiber were studied via several techniques including Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy(FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflectance(FTIR-ATR) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDX). The analysis of the EDX and FTIR-ATR results confirmed that the AM was grafted to the glass fiber successfully by detecting and proving the existence of nitrogen atoms in the GFRP-CM.