抗污染薄层复合聚酰胺膜的结构设计及改性策略

由活性层和支撑层组成的薄层复合(TFC)聚酰胺(PA)膜,是目前广泛应用于纳滤、反渗透、正渗透和压力延迟渗透过程中的高性能脱盐膜,具有水通量大和截盐率高等优异性能。然而,由于TFC-PA膜存在活性层疏水性强、支撑层孔径大等特点,致使TFC-PA膜在实际使用过程中极易受到膜污染,制约了TFC-PA膜的进一步推广和使用。本文讨论分析了TFC-PA膜的结构特点和表面性质,总结归纳了在不同膜过程中TFC-PA膜污染形成的原因及特点,详细论述了国内外抗污染TFC-PA膜的研究进展。本文重点介绍了活性层抗污染改性和支撑层抗污染改性方法,并对其抗污染机理以及存在的问题进行了阐述与分析,最后对抗污染TFC-PA膜的结构设计与表面改性策略进行了总结及展望。     

等离子体引发HEMA的RAFT接枝聚合改性聚丙烯多孔膜

采用等离子体引发的可逆加成-断裂链转移(RAFT)接枝聚合法,以甲基丙烯酸羟乙酯(HEMA)为单体,对聚丙烯(PP)多孔膜表面作了亲水改性.研究了接枝聚合动力学,并以FT-IR、SEM、压汞、水通量等方法研究了改性膜的表面结构形态及孔结构.结果表明,等离子体引发的RAFT接枝聚合速率显著低于普通等离子体引发的接枝聚合速率.表面接枝率随着接枝聚合时间的延长呈线性增长趋势,同时改性膜的孔径和水通量随之减小.     

添加共试剂改善聚酰胺复合反渗透膜的性能

将N,N′-二甲基乙酰胺(DMAc)作为共试剂添加在间苯二胺水溶液中参与界面聚合反应, 以改善聚酰胺复合反渗透膜(PA-RO-x, x代表添加DMAc的质量分数)的性能. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和衰减全反射傅里叶红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)分析表明, 随着DMAc含量的增加, 复合膜结构中交联聚酰胺含量相对于线性羧基部分有所增加; 场发射扫描电子显微镜(FE-SEM)和原子力显微镜(AFM)表征结果显示, 随着DMAc含量的增加, 膜表面的粗糙程度逐渐增大; 静态水接触角测试结果表明, 添加DMAc后, 膜的亲水性增强. 结合上述测试结果发现, 添加DMAc可以有效降低水油两相的不相溶性, 提高水相中间苯二胺向正己烷中扩散的速率, 这有助于加快间苯二胺与均苯三甲酰氯反应; 同时, 聚酰胺结构中交联酰胺含量的增加可以提供更多的氢键位点, 有助于水分子快速渗透通过复合膜而不损失截盐率; 膜表面的粗糙程度变大, 有助于提高水通量. 在2 g/L的氯化钠溶液和1.6 MPa测试压力条件下, PA-RO-5.2(DMAc添加质量分数为5.2%)的渗透通量和截盐率分别为66.1 L/(m²·h)和98.7%, 与未添加DMAc的聚酰胺复合反渗透膜相比, 通量增加115%, 截盐率仅下降0.9%.     

反渗透膜微结构的调控及海水脱硼性能的提升

通过引入聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)链与对叠氮苯甲酸(ABA)分子对薄层芳香聚酰胺复合反渗透膜(TFC)进行接枝改性, 采用傅里叶衰减全反射红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)分析了反渗透膜活性分离层的化学组成和结构, 用静态水接触角仪与Zeta电位仪测试了反渗透膜表面的亲疏水性和电荷性质, 并利用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及原子力显微镜(AFM)观察其表面形貌, 测试了反渗透膜在苦咸水与海水条件下的分离性能. 实验结果表明, 使用PEI与ABA对反渗透膜改性后, 提升了其分离层的致密度, 使硼渗透通过反渗透膜时的传质阻力变大, 从而将改性反渗透膜(TFC-PEI-ABA)对硼的截留率提升至90.45%, 达到了世界卫生组织对水质的要求.     

抗污染PVA/PVDF电纺纳米纤维复合超滤膜的制备及过滤性能

以聚对苯二甲酸二醇酯(PET)无纺布为基底,聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)纳米纤维为支撑层,聚乙烯醇(PVA)纳米纤维膜为分离层,采用静电纺丝法制备超滤膜,并用水/丙酮混合溶液对复合纳米纤维膜表面进行溶液处理,再加入戊二醛交联改性得到致密分离层.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和红外光谱(FTIR)表征了复合超滤膜的表面,用水接触角(WCA)表征复合超滤膜的亲水性.在0.02 MPa恒压下死端过滤油/水乳液,测试复合超滤膜的过滤性能.结果表明,最优条件下制备的复合超滤膜死端过滤油/水乳液的通量为(42.50±4.78)L/(m~2·h),截留率达到(95.72±0.33)%;循环使用5次后,依然具有较好的过滤性能,常压下死端过滤复合超滤膜的纯水通量为(3469±28)L/(m~2·h).     

微乳液聚合耦合共混法构建聚偏氟乙烯共混杂化膜

以苯乙烯和甲基丙烯酸甲酯混合物作为油相, 采用反相微乳液法制备了AgCl纳米粒子; 通过微乳液原位聚合油相单体得到包含AgCl纳米粒子的聚合乳液; 将聚合乳液与聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)通过共混法构建了包含AgCl纳米粒子的PVDF共混杂化膜. 紫外-可见光谱、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)及扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等表征结果和超滤实验结果表明, 聚合乳液加入的同时引入了亲水性聚合物和表面亲水的AgCl纳米粒子, 不仅改善了PVDF共混杂化膜的孔隙率和平均孔径, 还显著增强了PVDF共混杂化膜的极性和亲水性, 最终提升了膜的水通量和抗污染性能; 过量聚合乳液加入后不能与PVDF材料均匀共混, 而且AgCl纳米粒子也会在膜中形成团聚物堵塞膜孔隙, 从而削弱了膜的水通量和抗污染性能.     

超亲水聚偏氟乙烯中空纤维膜的制备及性能

采用超声辅助接枝聚合技术,将甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯(GMA)接枝到聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)膜表面,制备PVDF-g-GMA膜;再利用氨基诱导环氧基团发生开环反应,将苏氨酸(Thr)接枝到PVDF-g-GMA膜表面,制备了具有两性离子结构表面的PVDF-g-GMA-Thr膜。通过衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱(ATR-FTIR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、接触角测试仪、场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)和牛血清白蛋白(BSA)过滤实验等系统研究了改性前后PVDF膜表面的化学组成、润湿性能、表面形貌和抗污染性能。研究结果表明,随着PVDF-g-GMA接枝Thr反应时间的增加,PVDF-g-GMA-Thr膜的亲水性能明显提高,接触角从90°降为0°,呈现出超亲水性能。同时PVDF-g-GMA-Thr膜的水通量明显提高,当Thr诱导开环反应时间为12 h时,PVDF-gGMA-Thr膜的水通量高达686 L/(m²·h),与PVDF原膜相比,水通量提高了204. 5%。在BSA的过滤测试中,与PVDF膜相比,PVDF-g-GMA-Thr膜呈现出良好的截留性能和抗污染性能,BS...     

正渗透过程中纳米碳管膜的盐水通道行为

以纳米碳管(CNT)仿生构筑正渗透(FO)膜, 采用分子动力学模拟的方法考察水和盐在由CNT(6,6)、CNT(7,7)、CNT(8,8)、CNT(9,9)、CNT(10,10)、CNT(11,11)等不同尺寸纳米碳管构筑膜中, 于2.5、3.75、5.0mol·L^-1等不同汲取液浓度下的传递行为. 纳秒级的模拟得到水分子在不同尺寸纳米碳管膜内的分布, 水通量的变化以及盐截留等情况. 模拟结果表明, 由CNT(8,8)构筑的正渗透膜表现出优异的通水阻盐性能.     

4-二甲氨基吡啶催化的界面聚合法制备超支化聚乙烯亚胺复合膜

为了提高超支化聚合物在界面聚合反应中的成膜性能,选择4-二甲氨基吡啶(DMAP)作为空间位阻催化剂,用于催化超支化聚乙烯亚胺(PEI)与均苯三甲酰氯(TMC)界面聚合成膜.研究了DMAP在水油两相中的溶解性能,发现DMAP的适宜用量为底物PEI的8%.傅里叶红外光谱和扫描电镜表征结果表明,DMAP能够催化PEI上更多氨基参与酰化交联,在聚砜底膜上形成光滑连续的网络状结构.该复合分离膜对NaCl的截留率由无DMAP催化成膜的45.2%提高至85.4%,水通量高达60.8L/(m2.h).结合吡啶环上1-叔胺基团及环外的4-二甲氨基团,推测了DMAP在PEI界面聚合反应过程中消除强空间位阻效应的催化机理.     

静电纺丝复合反渗透膜的改性制备与脱盐性能

利用静电纺丝技术在无纺布上制备PET纳米纤维膜, 并用交联壳聚糖对其进行改性得到壳聚糖改性纳米纤维复合膜. 以间苯二胺(MPD)和均苯三甲酰氯(TMC)为单体, 采用界面聚合法在壳聚糖改性纳米纤维复合膜的表面制备聚酰胺分离层, 得到新型静电纺丝纳米纤维基复合反渗透膜. 新型复合反渗透膜具有典型的聚酰胺复合反渗透膜的表面脊-谷结构. 从膜的表面形貌、 亲水性、 分离性能等3个方面对水相MPD溶液中阴离子表面活性剂十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)的含量对膜结构和性能的影响进行了系统研究. 结果表明, SDBS的含量对膜形态结构的均匀性和亲水性有一定影响, 且随着SDBS含量的增加, 膜的脱盐率先增大后减小, 而通量小幅度上升后, 先减小后增大, 呈现规律性变化.     

木质素磺酸钠改性聚砜膜的制备及其在正渗透膜中的应用

采用木质素磺酸钠作为亲水添加剂,通过浸没沉淀相转化法制备了木质素磺酸钠共混改性聚砜膜,以改善聚砜膜的亲水性,并用作正渗透膜的支撑层,以降低内浓差极化效应.利用扫描电子显微镜、衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外光谱仪、水接触角仪等研究了不同木质素磺酸钠添加量对聚砜膜的结构和表面性质的影响.结果表明,添加木质素磺酸钠后,聚砜膜的指状孔变得规整且狭长.水接触角实验证实添加木质素磺酸钠能改善聚砜膜的亲水性,当木质素磺酸钠含量为0.4 wt%时,聚砜膜的表面水接触角可降低至65°.正/反渗透测试装置分别用于表征正渗透膜的传质性质和结构参数.结果表明,以0.4 wt%木质素磺酸钠改性聚砜膜为支撑层的正渗透膜的水渗透性能(A=3.12×10~(-5) LMH×Pa~(-1))优于纯聚砜基底正渗透膜(0.76×10~(-5)LMH×Pa~(-1)),而且前者的结构参数(S=2010mm)远小于后者(3450mm),说明木质素磺酸钠改性聚砜膜有效弱化了正渗透膜的内浓差极化效应.     

Performance enhancement of thin‐film composite membranes in water desalination process by wood sawdust

In this study, polysulfone/wood sawdust (PSf/WSD) mixed matrix membrane (MMM) was prepared as a novel substrate layer of thin‐film composite (TFC) membrane in water desalination. The main aim was to evaluate how different amounts of WSD (0‐5 wt%) and PSf concentrations (12‐16 wt%) in the porous substrate affect the properties of the final TFC membranes in the separation of organic and inorganic compounds. Morphological and wettability studies demonstrated that the addition of small amount of WSD (less than or equal to 1 wt%) in the casting solution resulted in more porous but similar hydrophobic substrates, while high loading (greater than or equal to 2 wt%) of WSD not only changed the substrate wettability and morphology but also increased and decreased the swelling and mechanical properties of substrate layer. Therefore, PA layer formed thereon displayed extensively varying film morphology, interfacial properties, and separation performance. Based on approximately stable permeate flux (ASPF) and apparent salt rejection efficiency (ASRE), the best TFC membrane was prepared over the substrate with 12 to 14 wt% of PSf and around 0.5 to 1 wt% of WSD. Although notable improvements in permeate flux were obtained by adding a small amount of sawdust, the results clearly indicate that the salt rejection mechanism of TFC membrane was different from the glycerin rejection mechanism. Furthermore, durability results of TFC membranes showed that in continuous operation for 30 days, TFC‐14/0.5 and TFC‐14/01 have the maximum plateau levels of stable permeate flux and salt rejection among the all TFC membranes.     

Nanofiltration-like forward osmosis membranes on in-situ mussel-modified polyvinylidene fluoride porous substrate for efficient salt/dye separation

Here, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) using dopamine (DA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) as the hydrophilic additives, which has a loose surface and somewhat improved hydrophilicity. Then nanofiltration (NF)-like thin-film composite forward osmosis (TFC FO) membrane with a loose polyamide (PA) active layer on the blend membrane was synthesized via the interfacial polymerization. The as-prepared NF-like TFC FO membrane exhibited a high water flux (J_w) of 29.98 L m⁻² h⁻¹ and a much low specific salt flux (J_s/J_w) of 0.018 g/L, when 0.6 M NaCl was used as draw solution (DS). It had a superior rejection of malachite green (99.6% ± 0.1%) and a low rejection of NaCl (27.4% ± 4.2%), when filtrated malachite green/NaCl mixture solution in active layer-facing draw solution (AL-FS) mode. The results provide new insights on the design and preparation of FO membranes of selective separation for dyes from salty water.     

Chitosan‐modified graphene oxide as a modifier for improving the structure and performance of forward osmosis membranes

Chitosan (CS) with good hydrophilicity and charged property was used to modify graphene oxide (GO), the obtained GO‐CS was used as a novel modifier to fabricate thin film composite forward osmosis (FO) membranes. The results revealed that the amino groups on CS reacted with carboxyl groups on GO, and the lamellar structure of the GO nanosheets was peeled off by CS, resulting in the reducing of their thicknesses. The GO‐CS improved the hydrophilicity of polyethersulfone (PES) substrate, and their contact angles decreased to 64° with the addition of GO‐CS in the substrate. GO‐CS also increased the porosity of the substrate and surface roughness of FO membrane, thereby optimizing the water flux and reverse salt flux of FO membrane. The average water flux of the FO membrane reached the optimal flux of 21.34 L/(m² h) when GO‐CS addition was 0.5 wt%, and further addition of GO‐CS to the substrate would decrease the water flux of FO membrane, and the reverse salt flux also decreased to the lowest value of 2.26 g/(m² h). However, the salt rejection of the membrane increased from 91.4% to 95.1% when GO‐CS addition increased from 0.5 to 1.0 wt% under FO mode using 1 mol/L sodium chloride (NaCl) solution as draw solution (DS). In addition, high osmotic pressure favored water permeation, and at the same concentration of DS, magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) exhibited better properties than NaCl. These results all suggested that GO‐CS was a good modifier to fabricate FO membrane, and MgCl₂ was a good DS candidate.     

Channel regulation of TFC membrane with hydrophobic carbon dots in forward osmosis

Zero-dimensional carbon dots have emerged as important nanofillers for the separation membrane due to their small specific size and rich surface functional groups. This study proposed a strategy based on hydrophobic carbon dots (HCDs) to regulate water channels for an efficient forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes with superior FO performance are fabricated by introducing HCDs as the nanofiller in the polyacrylonitrile support layer. The introduction of HCDs promotes the formation of the support layer with coherent finger-like hierarchical channels and micro-convex structure and an integrated polyamide active layer. Compared to the original membrane, TFC-FO membrane with 10 wt% HCDs exhibits high water flux (15.47 L m⁻² h⁻¹) and low reverse salt flux (2.9 g m⁻² h⁻¹) using 1 mol/L NaCl as the draw solution. This improved FO performance is attributed to the lower structural parameters of HCDs-induced water channels and alleviated internal concentration polarization. Thus, this paper provides a feasible strategy to design the membrane structure and boost FO performance.     

Polyamide thin film composite membrane prepared from m-phenylenediamine and m-phenylenediamine-5-sulfonic acid

Thin film composite (TFC) membranes based polyamide were prepared with m-phenylenediamine (MPD), m-phenylenediamine-5-sulfonic acid (SMPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) through interfacial polymerization technique on the polysulphone supporting film. The membranes were characterized using permeation experiments with salt water, attenuated total reflectance infrared (ATR-IR) and X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy (XPS) as well as scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). This study has shown that the active layer of TFC membrane is aromatic polyamide, including sulfuric acid function group (-SO₃H) according to the result of ATR-IR and XPS. The NaCl rejection of RO membranes decreased and the flux increased when W_SMPD/W_MPD increased from 0 to 1, and the linear part with pendant -COOH in membrane barrier layer increased with the increase of SMPD content, but the surface of membrane becoming smoother and smoother with the increase of SMPD content. So the membranes performance mainly was determined by chemical structure in their barrier layer.     

Novel thin-film composite membranes with improved water flux from sulfonated cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone) bearing pendant amino groups

A new class of polymeric amine, namely, sulfonated cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPES-NH₂) was synthesized and used for the preparation of thin-film composite membrane. The TFC membranes were prepared on a polysulfone supporting film through interfacial polymerization with trimesoyl chloride (TMC) solutions and amine solutions containing SPES-NH₂ and m-phenylenediamine (MPDA). The resultant membranes were characterized with water permeation performance, chemical structure, hydrophilicity of active layer and membrane morphology including top surface and cross-section. The membrane prepared under the optimum condition showed the salt rejection and water flux reached 97.3% and 51.2 L/m² h, respectively. The high salt rejection and water flux was attributed to the rigid polymer backbone and the presence of strong hydrophilic sulfonic groups.     

Power generation with pressure retarded osmosis: An experimental and theoretical investigation

Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) was investigated as a viable source of renewable energy. In PRO, water from a low salinity feed solution permeates through a membrane into a pressurized, high salinity draw solution; power is obtained by depressurizing the permeate through a hydroturbine. A PRO model was developed to predict water flux and power density under specific experimental conditions. The model relies on experimental determination of the membrane water permeability coefficient (A), the membrane salt permeability coefficient (B), and the solute resistivity (K). A and B were determined under reverse osmosis conditions, while K was determined under forward osmosis (FO) conditions. The model was tested using experimental results from a bench-scale PRO system. Previous investigations of PRO were unable to verify model predictions due to the lack of suitable membranes and membrane modules. In this investigation, the use of a custom-made laboratory-scale membrane module enabled the collection of experimental PRO data. Results obtained with a flat-sheet cellulose triacetate (CTA) FO membrane and NaCl feed and draw solutions closely matched model predictions. Maximum power densities of 2.7 and 5.1 W/m² were observed for 35 and 60 g/L NaCl draw solutions, respectively, at 970 kPa of hydraulic pressure. Power density was substantially reduced due to internal concentration polarization in the asymmetric CTA membranes and, to a lesser degree, to salt passage. External concentration polarization was found to exhibit a relatively small effect on reducing the osmotic pressure driving force. Using the predictive PRO model, optimal membrane characteristics and module configuration can be determined in order to design a system specifically tailored for PRO processes.     

Interfacially synthesized thin film composite RO membranes for seawater desalination

A composite RO membrane with high salt rejection and high flux for the desalination of seawater was prepared by treating a porous polysulfone (PS) support sequentially with a di-amine and then with a polyfunctional acid chloride, thereby forming a thin film of polyamide (PA) on the PS support. In order to establish conditions for the development of suitable thin film composite (TFC) membranes on a coating machine, various parametric studies were carried out which included varying the concentration of reactants, reaction time, curing temperature and curing time for thin film formation by the interfacial polymerization technique. By suitable combination of these factors,a desired thin film of polyamide with improved performance for seawater desalination could be obtained. Moreover, the product water fluxes were considerably enhanced by post-treatment of the TFC membrane. Continuous sheets of TFCs were developed on the mechanical coating unit and tested for RO performance in a plate-and-frame configuration with synthetic seawater. The performance of these composite membranes was also determined for the separation of organics and compared with cellulose acetate (CA) membranes.     

Preparation of thin-film-composite polyamide membranes for desalination using novel hydrophilic surface modifying macromolecules

A new concept for the preparation of thin-film-composite (TFC) reverse osmosis (RO) membrane by interfacial polymerization on porous polysulfone (PS) support using novel additives is reported. Hydrophilic surface modifying macromolecules (LSMM) were synthesized both ex situ by conventional method (cLSMM), and in situ within the organic solvent of the TFC system (iLSMM). The effects of these LSMMs on the fouling of the TFC RO membranes used in the desalination processes were studied. FTIR results indicated that both cLSMM and iLSMM were present in the active layer of the TFC membranes. SEM micrographs depicted that heterogeneity of the surface increases for TFC membranes compared to the control PS membrane, and that higher concentrations of LSMM provided smoother surface. AFM characteristic data presented that the surface roughness of the skin surface increases for TFC membranes compared to the control. The RO performance results showed that the addition of the cLSMM significantly decreased the salt rejection of the membrane and slightly reduced the flux, while in the case of the iLSMM, salt rejection was improved but the flux declined at different rates for different iLSMM concentrations. The membrane prepared by the iLSMM exhibited less flux decay over an extended operational period.