Electrospun Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride-Co-Hexafluoropropylene) Nanofiber Membranes for Brine Treatment via Membrane Distillation

Abstract

The major challenge for membrane distillation (MD) is the membrane wetting resistance induced by pollutants in the feed solution. The proposed solution for this issue was to fabricate membranes with hydrophobic properties. Hydrophobic electrospun poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofiber membranes were produced for brine treatment using the direct-contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technique. These nanofiber membranes were prepared from three different polymeric solution compositions to study the effect of solvent composition on the electrospinning process. Furthermore, the effect of the polymer concentration was investigated by preparing polymeric solutions with three different polymer percentages: 6, 8, and 10%. All of the nanofiber membranes obtained from electrospinning were post-treated at varying temperatures. The effects of thickness, porosity, pore size, and liquid entry pressure (LEP) were studied. The hydrophobicity was determined using contact angle measurements, which were investigated using optical contact angle goniometry. The crystallinity and thermal properties were studied using DSC and XRD, while the functional groups were studied using FTIR. The morphological study was performed with AMF and described the roughness of nanofiber membranes. Finally, all of the nanofiber membranes had enough of a hydrophobic nature to be used in DCMD. A PVDF membrane filter disc and all nanofiber membranes were applied in DCMD to treat brine water. The resulting water flux and permeate water quality were compared, and it was discovered that all of the produced nanofiber membranes showed good behavior with varying water flux, but the salt rejection was greater than 90%. A membrane prepared from DMF/acetone 5-5 with 10% PVDF-HFP provided the perfect performance, with an average water flux of 44 kg.m−2.h−1 and salt rejection of 99.8%.

2D MoO3/PVDF–HFP Nanocomposites for Flexible Piezoelectric Nanogenerator and Wireless Mechanosensor Applications

“…A distinct peak at 880 cm −1 is observed, which corresponds to a mixture of β and γ phases. 42 In comparison to the neat film, the FTIR absorption spectra of the MoO 3 /PVDF−HFP composite films clearly demonstrate a decrease in the intensity of the corresponding α-phase absorption bands and a simultaneous increase in the absorption bands of the polar β phase with increasing loading percentages of MoO 3 nanoparticles. A closer inspection reveals that for PMO2, most of the absorption peaks corresponding to the α phase of PVDF−HFP (615, 764, 796, and 976 cm −1 ) have almost disappeared and the absorption peaks corresponding to the βphase (510 and 840 cm −1 ) are dominant.…”

“…Two comparatively less distinct peaks are also obtained for PMO at 510 cm –1 (CF 2 stretching) and 840 cm –1 (CH 2 rocking, CF 2 stretching and skeletal C–C stretching), corresponding to the β phase of PVDF–HFP. A distinct peak at 880 cm –1 is observed, which corresponds to a mixture of β and γ phases . In comparison to the neat film, the FTIR absorption spectra of the MoO 3 /PVDF–HFP composite films clearly demonstrate a decrease in the intensity of the corresponding α-phase absorption bands and a simultaneous increase in the absorption bands of the polar β phase with increasing loading percentages of MoO 3 nanoparticles.…”

Hybrid Zinc Phthalocyanine/PVDF-HFP System for Reducing Biofouling in Water Desalination: DFT Theoretical and MolDock Investigations

“…Their research delved into how solvent composition influences electrospinning and its effects on membrane characteristics and performance in brine purification [17].…”

“…In this context, Albiladi et al crafted hydrophobic PVDF-HFP nanofiber membranes specifically for brine treatment via membrane distillation. Their research delved into how solvent composition influences electrospinning and its effects on membrane characteristics and performance in brine purification [ 17 ].…”

Development of Novel PET-PAN Electrospun Nanocomposite Membrane Embedded with Layered Double Hydroxides Hybrid for Efficient Wastewater Treatment

“…The technique of electrospinning nanofiber membranes is known for its greater capability of treating industrial wastewater [8][9][10][11][12] because of its adjustable structure, higher level of efficiency, high porosity, greater surface area, simplicity, improved level of scalability, chemical reactivity, and highly efficient fabrication process with low cost [13][14][15][16][17][18]. At present, most researchers have used various inorganic, organic, inorganic/organic composite blends of polymers, and polymers containing nanoparticles in order to fabricate electrospun nanofiber membranes for treating heavy metallic ions and dyes [16,[19][20][21][22].…”