Chapter 5 - Hollow fiber membranes

Abstract

Nonsolvent induced phase separation and thermally induced phase separation are the commonly used spinning techniques for the preparation of polymeric hollow fiber membranes. These are thoroughly described throughout this chapter. Different involved spinning configurations such as dry/wet, wet/wet, or other gap type variants are presented and explained together with the precipitation mechanisms occurring during hollow fiber membrane formation. Various spinning parameters, apart from the spinneret type and dimension, influence both the internal and external phase separation processes, thereby impacting the characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane. The spinning parameters' effects are discussed together with the adopted engineering and strategies to design, develop, and improve the desired hollow fiber membrane morphological characteristics for specific applications.