Abstract
Membranes with high hydrophobicity are essential for membrane distillation of seawater desalination. A facile surface modification method has been developed to obtain hydrophobic PVDF membranes by depositing fluorographite particles on the membrane surface. The surface hydrophobicity increases with an increase in the number of fluorographite particles on the membrane surface. After the fluorographite modification, the resultant membranes exhibit good wetting resistance and better performance sustainability in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) tests using a highly concentrated (10wt%) sodium chloride solution. The modified PVDF membrane can last about 200h while the pristine PVDF membrane can only sustain about 70h. A variety of techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were applied to examine the effects of the fluorographite modification on surface chemistry and morphology of the derived membranes. This work may provide a facile and useful approach for the hydrophobic modification of MD membranes for seawater desalination.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
