In this study, the modified ZnO/poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were prepared to examine the membrane distillation performance. The modified ZnO nanoparticle was synthesized using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as a coupling agent and lauric acid in order to increase the hydrophobicity of nanoparticle surface. The modified nanoparticles with 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% contents were intercalated within PVDF scaffold to prepare composite membranes through phase inversion method. The influence of modified nanoparticle content on the characteristics of membranes including hydrophobicity, morphology, porosity, liquid entry pressure of water, and direct contact membrane distillation performance was investigated. By adding modified ZnO nanoparticle into casting solution, porosity and roughness were increased and revealed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The results of direct contact membrane distillation performance was indicated that the permeate flux of modified membranes had a significant increase in comparison with neat PVDF membrane. Also, the thermal property of these nanocomposite membranes was examined.

In order to enhance the flux and wetting resistance of PVDF membranes for MD applications, we have developed a novel PVDF blend nanocomposite membrane using a polystyrene/ZnO (PS/ZnO) hybrid nanocomposite.

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