Two kinds of superhydrophobic and amphiphobic membranes which can repel both water and low surface tension liquids (e.g. oil) were generated via electrospinning technique and surface modification. Highly hydrophobic nanofiber mats were firstly prepared by electrospinning a blend polymer of poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and reduced graphene oxide. Surface superhydrophobicity and amphiphobicity were further constructed by grafting fluoroalkylsilane of low surface energy or hydrophobic silica nanoparticles. Various techniques such as SEM, AFM, XPS, liquid entry pressure (LEP) and contact angle measurement were applied to explore the effects of surface modification on the morphology and structure of the membranes. The analysis results revealed the changes in the electrospun nanofiber diameters, surface roughness, elemental composition and hydrophobicity. The resulted membranes showed excellent superhydrophobicity and amphiphobicity, as demonstrated by their wetting resistance with water and low surface tension organic solvents. As a promising application, the prepared membranes are tested to purify water from 35 g/L sodium chloride solution in the presence of a surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) through a direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. Our membranes exhibited enhanced stability and durability of MD performance in both high permeation flux and salt rejection.

Electrospun superhydrophobic and amphiphobic nanocomposite membranes with reduced graphene oxide in poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) for membrane distillation

2019 Spring National Meeting

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