Effects of Inorganic Nano-Additives on Properties and Performance of Polymeric Membranes in Water Treatment

Abstract

Separation using selective polymeric membranes has been well-established as an energy-efficient and cost-effective technology in water treatment and many other applications involving aqueous solutions. However, limited chemical, thermal, and mechanical resistances besides their tendency to fouling and inadequate pure water flux may often restrict their applications. To this end, inorganic materials as additives have been demonstrated to be able to enhance chemical, thermal, and fouling membrane resistances, which demonstrate their great potential for developing novel membranes by using them as additives in polymer matrices. Considering the excellent characteristics of the nano-sized particles, this study reviews the effects of inorganic nanoadditives on properties and performance of polymer/nanoparticle composite membranes. It has been demonstrated that using nanomaterials in a polymer matrix could enhance the mechanical strength and stiffness, wettability, selectivity, water permeability, and antifouling characteristics of the host polymer. Abbreviation ALDAtomic Layer Deposition PAN Polyacrylonitrile AOP Advanced Oxidation Process PAS Polyarylsulfone APTS 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane PCTE Polycarbonate BET Brunauer Emmett Teller PDMS Polydimethylsiloxane BP Bucky-Paper PEI Polyethyleneimine BPPO Brominated Poly(phenylene oxide) PES Polyethersulfone BSA Bovine serum albumin PI Polyimide CA Cellulose acetate PMMA Poly(methyl methacrylate) Downloaded by [Deakin University Library] at 01:21 12 August 2015 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t CNIM Carbon Nanotube Immobilized Membrane PP Polypropylene CNT Carbon Nanotube PSf Polysulfone CTA Cellulose triacetate PTFE Polytetrafluoroethylene DCMD Direct Contact Membrane Distillation PV Pervaporation DLS Dynamic Light Scattering PVA Poly(vinyl alcohol) FO Forward Osmosis PVC Polyvinyl chloride GO Graphene Oxide PVDF Polyvinylidene fluoride ICP Internal Concentration Polarization RO Reverse Osmosis LEP Liquid Entry Pressure SDS Sodium dodecyl sulfate MD Membrane Distillation SEM Scanning Electron Microscopy Downloaded by [Deakin University Library] at 01:21 12 August 2015 A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t MF Microfiltration SGMD Sweep Gas Membrane Distillation MWCNT Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube SPES SulfonatedPolyethersulfone NF Nanofiltration TMOS Tetramethylorthosilicate NP Nanoparticle TMP Transmembrane Pressure PA Polyamide UF Ultrafiltration PAI Poly(amide-imide) VMD Vacuum Membrane Distillation 1-IntroductionThe increase in water demand for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses resulted in much attention toward water and waste water treatment technologies during the last few decades. The water demand is predicted to increase by 50% over the next few decades [1]. Membrane filtration, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), and UV irradiation are among the processes that Downloaded by [Deakin University Library] at 01:21 12 August 2015A c c e p t e d M a n u s c r i p t have been used for this purpose [2] and membrane filtration is considered to be one of the most...

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