Abstract
For the first time, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), because of its high stabilities and easy processability, was employed as the substrate material to fabricate the thin-film composite (TFC) hollow fiber membrane for ethanol dehydration. A surface modification of the PVDF substrate through an alkaline treatment was carried out before interfacial polymerization to conquer its hydrophobic nature. Various characterizations showed that a proper alkaline treatment can effectively enhance the surface hydrophilicity by introducing oxygen-containing functional groups. Different configurations of PVDF substrates were investigated and the most suitable morphology was found to be the dual-layer hollow fiber with more porous inner layer and relative denser outer surface. Silicone rubber coating was also applied to enhance the membrane selectivity. The highest separation performance showed a separation factor of 40 and a flux of 1288g/m2h with high long term stabilities. This study may provide important insights in exploring new substrate materials for TFC membranes.
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