Preparation of thin-film composite membranes supported with electrospun nanofibers for desalination by forward osmosis

Abstract. The forward osmosis (FO) process has been considered to be a viable option for water desalination in comparison to the traditional processes like reverse osmosis, regarding energy consumption and economical operation. In this work, a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber support layer was prepared using the electrospinning process as a modern method. Then, an interfacial polymerization reaction between m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) was carried out to generate a polyamide selective thin-film composite (TFC) membrane on the support layer. The TFC membrane was tested in FO mode (feed solution facing the active layer) using the standard methodology and compared to a commercially available cellulose triacetate membrane (CTA). The synthesized membrane showed a high performance in terms of water flux (16 Lm −2 h−1) but traded the salt rejection (4 gm−2 h−1) compared with the commercial CTA membrane (water flux = 13 Lm−2 h−1 and salt rejection = 3 gm−2 h−1) at no applied pressure and room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle, mechanical properties, porosity, and performance characterizations were conducted to examine the membrane.

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Thin film composite forward osmosis membranes based on polydopamine modified polysulfone substrates with enhancements in both water flux and salt rejection

Chemical Engineering Science ◽

10.1016/j.ces.2012.05.033 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 80 ◽

pp. 219-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 241

Author(s):

Gang Han ◽

Sui Zhang ◽

Xue Li ◽

Natalia Widjojo ◽

Tai-Shung Chung

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Film Composite ◽

Salt Rejection ◽

Thin Film Composite

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Modification of Nanofiber Support Layer for Thin Film Composite forward Osmosis Membranes via Layer-by-Layer Polyelectrolyte Deposition

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes8030070 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 70 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Ralph Gonzales ◽

Myoung Park ◽

Leonard Tijing ◽

Dong Han ◽

Sherub Phuntsho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

High Performance ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Composite Membranes ◽

Structural Parameter ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Film Composite ◽

Thin Film Composite ◽

Layer Deposition ◽

Tfc Membrane

Electrospun nanofiber-supported thin film composite membranes are among the most promising membranes for seawater desalination via forward osmosis. In this study, a high-performance electrospun polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) nanofiber-supported thin film composite (TFC) membrane was successfully fabricated after molecular layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte deposition. Negatively-charged electrospun polyacrylic acid (PAA) nanofibers were deposited on electrospun PVDF nanofibers to form a support layer consisted of PVDF and PAA nanofibers. This resulted to a more hydrophilic support compared to the plain PVDF nanofiber support. The PVDF-PAA nanofiber support then underwent a layer-by-layer deposition of polyethylenimine (PEI) and PAA to form a polyelectrolyte layer on the nanofiber surface prior to interfacial polymerization, which forms the selective polyamide layer of TFC membranes. The resultant PVDF-LbL TFC membrane exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity and porosity, without sacrificing mechanical strength. As a result, it showed high pure water permeability and low structural parameter values of 4.12 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and 221 µm, respectively, significantly better compared to commercial FO membrane. Layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte is therefore a useful and practical modification method for fabrication of high performance nanofiber-supported TFC membrane.

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Thin Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membrane with Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Interlayer for Alleviating Internal Concentration Polarization

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12020260 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 260 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yuanyuan Tang ◽

Shan Li ◽

Jia Xu ◽

Congjie Gao

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Concentration Polarization ◽

Water Flux ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Feed Solution ◽

Film Composite ◽

Thin Film Composite ◽

Internal Concentration ◽

Tfc Membrane ◽

Internal Concentration Polarization

This study reported a series of thin film composite (TFC) membranes with single-walled nanotubes (SWCNTs) interlayers for the forward osmosis (FO) application. Pure SWCNTs with ultrahigh length-to-diameter ratio and without any functional group were applied to form an interconnect network interlayer via strong π-π interactions. Compared to the TFC membrane without SWCNTs interlayer, our TFC membrane with optimal SWCNTs interlayer exhibited more than three times the water permeability (A) of 3.3 L m−2h−1bar−1 in RO mode with 500 mg L−1 NaCl as feed solution and nearly three-fold higher FO water flux of 62.8 L m−2 h−1 in FO mode with the deionized water as feed solution and 1 M NaCl as draw solution. Meanwhile, the TFC membrane with SWCNTs interlayer exhibited significantly reduced membrane structure parameters (S) to immensely mitigate the effect of internal concentration polarization (ICP) in support layer with micro-sized pores in favor of higher water flux. It showed that the pure SWCNTs interlayer could be an effective strategy to apply in FO membranes.

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Modification of Nanofiber Support Layer for Thin Film Composite Forward Osmosis Membranes via Layer-By-Layer Polyelectrolyte Deposition

10.20944/preprints201807.0279.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ralph Rolly Gonzales ◽

Myoung Jun Park ◽

Leonard Tijing ◽

Dong Suk Han ◽

Sherub Phuntsho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

High Performance ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Composite Membranes ◽

Structural Parameter ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Film Composite ◽

Thin Film Composite ◽

Layer Deposition ◽

Tfc Membrane

Electrospun nanofiber-supported thin film composite membranes are among the most promising membranes for seawater desalination via forward osmosis. In this study, a high-performance electrospun polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) nanofiber-supported TFC membrane was successfully fabricated after molecular layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte deposition. Negatively-charged electrospun polyacrylic acid (PAA) nanofibers were deposited on electrospun PVDF nanofibers to form a support layer consisted of PVDF and PAA nanofibers. This resulted to a more hydrophilic support compared to the plain PVDF nanofiber support. The PVDF-PAA nanofiber support then underwent a layer-by-layer deposition of polyethylenimine (PEI) and PAA to form a polyelectrolyte layer on the nanofiber surface prior to interfacial polymerization, which forms the selective polyamide layer of TFC membranes. The resultant PVDF-LbL TFC membrane exhibited enhanced hydrophilicity and porosity, without sacrificing mechanical strength. As a result, it showed high pure water permeability and low structural parameter values of 4.12 Lm−2h−1bar−1 and 221 µm, respectively, significantly better compared to commercial FO membrane. Layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte is therefore a useful and practical modification method for fabrication of high performance nanofiber-supported TFC membrane.

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Optimization of Aquaporin Loading for Performance Enhancement of Aquaporin-Based Biomimetic Thin-Film Composite Membranes

Membranes ◽

10.3390/membranes12010032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Yang Zhao ◽

Xuesong Li ◽

Jing Wei ◽

Jaume Torres ◽

Anthony G. Fane ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Water Flux ◽

Composite Membranes ◽

Separation Performance ◽

Scale Production ◽

Film Composite ◽

Salt Rejection ◽

Thin Film Composite ◽

Lipid Ratio ◽

Wide Range

The aquaporin-based biomimetic thin-film composite membrane (ABM-TFC) has demonstrated superior separation performance and achieved successful commercialization. The larger-scale production of the ABM membrane requires an appropriate balance between the performance and manufacturing cost. This study has systematically investigated the effects of proteoliposome concentration, protein-to-lipid ratio, as well as the additive on the separation performance of ABM for the purpose of finding the optimal preparation conditions for the ABM from the perspective of industrial production. Although increasing the proteoliposome concentration or protein-to-lipid ratio within a certain range could significantly enhance the water permeability of ABMs by increasing the loading of aquaporins in the selective layer, the enhancement effect was marginal or even compromised beyond an optimal point. Alternatively, adding cholesterol in the proteoliposome could further enhance the water flux of the ABM membrane, with minor effects on the salt rejection. The optimized ABM not only achieved a nearly doubled water flux with unchanged salt rejection compared to the control, but also demonstrated satisfactory filtration stability within a wide range of operation temperatures. This study provides a practical strategy for the optimization of ABM-TFC membranes to fit within the scheme of industrial-scale production.

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Preparation of TFC Membranes Supported with Elelctrospun Nanofibers for Desalination by Forward Osmosis

10.5194/dwes-2020-9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mustafa Al-Furaiji ◽

Mohammed Kadhom ◽

Khairi Kalash ◽

Basma Waisi ◽

Noor Albayati

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Interfacial Polymerization ◽

Water Flux ◽

Applied Pressure ◽

Forward Osmosis ◽

Electrospinning Process ◽

Water Desalination ◽

Polymerization Reaction ◽

Salt Rejection ◽

Tfc Membrane

Abstract. Forward osmosis (FO) process has been considered as a viable option for water desalination in comparison to the traditional processes like reverse osmosis regarding the energy consumption and economical operation. In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber support layer was prepared using electrospinning process as a modern method. Then, an interfacial polymerization reaction between m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) was carried out to generate a polyamide selective thin film composite (TFC) membrane on the support layer. The TFC membrane was tested in FO mode (feed solution facing the active layer) using standard methodology and compared to a commercially available cellulose triacetate membrane (CTA). The synthesized membrane showed a high performance in terms of water flux (16 L m−2 h−1) but traded the salt rejection (4 g m−2 h−1) comparing with the commercially CTA membrane (water flux = 13 L m−2 h−1 and salt rejection = 3 g m−2 h−1) at no applied pressure and room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle, mechanical properties, porosity, and performance characterizations were conducted to examine the membrane.

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