Sintering of the Immersion-Induced Porous Stainless Steel Hollow Fiber Membranes

Abstract

gas permeability due to the low surface porosity despite their apparent porosities are larger than 40%, indicating the majority of pore volume was closed inside the fiber wall. Actually, the membrane properties like microstructure, surface porosity, pore size distribution and mechanical strength that should be critically considered in practical applications are significantly affected by the sintering conditions in the preparation of inorganic membranes [19]. For example, sintering of the PSS hollow fibres under air, CO 2 , He and H 2 atmospheres would lead to different microstructures [20]. However, the general evolution of microstructure and performance of the resultant PSS hollow fibers with the variation of sintering conditions has not been much clarified. The objective of this work was to elucidate the effects of sintering parameters including atmosphere, temperature and dwelling time on the microstructure and properties of the PSS hollow fibers spun by the phase inversion-sintering technique, and to identify the optimal sintering conditions at which high performance PSS hollow fiber membranes can be achieved.