Hydrophobic enrichment-induced augmentation of NH2-UiO-66 particle interactions for enhanced pervaporation performance of polydimethylsiloxane membrane

Abstract

BackgroundIn this research, we aimed to improve the hydrophobic property of NH2-UiO-66 particles by palmitoyl chloride (PC) modification. PC-UiO-66 particles were mixed in the selective layer of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane)-PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) composite membrane for organo-selective pervaporation. MethodsWe effectively preserved conspicuous crystallinity and high porosity during a conversion from hydrophilic to hydrophobic MOF, as confirmed by XRD and BET studies. The successful incorporation of palmitoyl long alkyl chains into PC-UiO-66 was verified through FTIR, XPS, and EDS studies. PC-UiO-66 particles exhibited an excellent dispersion in PDMS matrix due to a strong interfacial polymer-MOF interaction observed in FESEM and AFM studies. An organophilic pervaporation separation performance of pristine PDMS, NH2-UiO-66/PDMS, and PC-UiO-66/PDMS membranes coated on PVDF support was evaluated for ethanol/water, IPA/water, and 1,5 PDO/IPA feed solution. Significant findingsThe results demonstrated that adding PC-UiO-66 particles significantly improved the separation performance of PC-UiO-66/PDMS membranes, achieving the highest selectivity compared to pristine PDMS and NH2-UiO-66/PDMS membranes.