Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angela Dedvukaj, Peter van den Mooter, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: Solvent-resistant UV-cured supports consisting of a semi-interpenetrating network of polysulfone (PSf) and cross-linked poly-acrylate were successfully synthesized for the first time using an alternative, non-reprotoxic, and biodegradable solvent. These supports showed improved chemical resistance and promising separation performance.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhenyu Zhao, Bao Liu, Ayesha Ilyas, Maarten Vanierschot, Koenraad Muylaert, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: The use of negatively charged patterned membranes was found to be effective in harvesting microalgae, with high clean water permeance, low membrane intrinsic resistance, and high critical flux. Membrane vibration could further reduce membrane fouling. The synergistic effect between membrane structure, vibration system, and charge led to a significantly enhanced membrane performance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Murali Krishna Paidi, Veerababu Polisetti, Krishnaiah Damarla, Puyam Sobhindro Singh, Subir Kumar Mandal, Paramita Ray
Summary: In this study, mesoporous inorganic biosilica material extracted from the spent biomass of diatom was successfully used in membrane preparation, resulting in a high-performance composite membrane. The diatomite composite membranes exhibited high water permeability, hydrophilicity, and thermal stability, making them suitable for wastewater treatment and water recycling.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bruna Aline Araujo, Edcleide Maria Araujo, Sandriely Sonaly Lima Oliveira, Rodholfo da Silva Barbosa Ferreira, Keila Machado de Medeiros, Carlos Antonio Pereira de Lima
Summary: In this study, polysulfone (PSU) membranes were prepared with varying amounts of titanium dioxide (TiO2), showing an increase in viscosity and thickness with TiO2 incorporation, as well as promotion of particle aggregation. The PSU membranes exhibited higher contact angles and lower water vapor permeation, indicating a smoother filter skin with fewer pores.
DESALINATION AND WATER TREATMENT
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Hanan S. S. Fahmy, Ragab Abouzeid, M. S. Abd El-sadek, G. T. Abdel-Jaber, W. Y. Ali, Hamouda M. M. Mousa
Summary: In this study, a hybrid membrane composed of polysulfone (PSF), cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and polyaniline (PANI) polymers was developed for oil/water separation via a phase inversion process. Characterization techniques were used to analyze the membranes. The results showed that the PSF/CNC/PANI membrane had a significantly higher water flux compared to pure PSF and PSF/CNC membranes under both gravity-driven and pressure-driven processes. The membrane also had good micro-porosity, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties, making it suitable for various oil/water mixture separations with a high oil rejection efficiency of approximately 88.2%.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Hiyam Khalil, Hanaa M. Hegab, Lobna Nassar, Vijay S. Wadi, Vincenzo Naddeo, Ahmed F. Yousef, Fawzi Banat, Shadi W. Hasan
Summary: This study fabricated ecofriendly asymmetric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes from polylactic acid (PLA) with different polymer concentrations using the phase inversion method. The results showed that increasing the PLA concentration improved BSA removal and antifouling properties of the membranes.
JOURNAL OF WATER PROCESS ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Mayank Saxena, Saroj Sharma, Amit Bhattacharya
Summary: The properties of polysulfone membranes coated with poly(vinyl alcohol) were improved through cross-linking, resulting in promising results for desalination. The number of recycling stages affected the salt separation performance, and the membranes also showed good defluoridation potential.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dmitry Matveev, Ilya Borisov, Vladimir Vasilevsky, Galina Karpacheva, Vladimir Volkov
Summary: The viscosity of the dope solution is a crucial factor influencing the properties of hollow fiber membranes. This study demonstrated that even slight changes in temperature leading to changes in viscosity can significantly impact the characteristics of polysulfone hollow fiber membranes, affecting parameters such as wall thickness, permeance, selectivity, pore size, and surface porosity.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xiaoliang Dong, Huiju Shao, Jinyan Chang, Shuhao Qin
Summary: This study proposes a simple method to adjust the surface segregation and poreforming ability of a copolymer in composite membranes, and further optimize the membrane microstructure by selecting a second additive. The resulting membranes display excellent water flux and rejection rates.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Yuhui Cui, Guozhen Li, Hanzhu Wu, Siyu Pang, Yan Zhuang, Zhihao Si, Xinmiao Zhang, Peiyong Qin
Summary: By optimizing the concentration of acetone additive, coagulation bath composition and evaporation time, the gas separation performance and application value of the Kapton membrane can be enhanced.
REACTIVE & FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Abeer M. Alosaimi
Summary: In this study, organic-inorganic nanoparticles were used as fillers to prepare high-performance hybrid nanocomposite membranes for heavy metal ion removal. The hybrid membranes showed improved thermal stability and mechanical properties, with PSF/MMt/CNTOxi and PSF/MMt/GO membranes exhibiting the highest adsorption efficiencies for various heavy metal ions, particularly showing selectivity towards Hg(II) at pH 2.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Steven Kluge, Michael Weiss
Summary: In this study, PSU flat membranes with a porous support structure and a separating top layer were successfully produced in one step using special casting solutions and the dry/wet phase inversion process. The characteristics of the individual PSU layers were varied by altering the composition of the casting solution and the precipitant, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscope images. Gas separation properties were characterized through gas permeation measurements.
CHEMIE INGENIEUR TECHNIK
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Natalia Cristina Fontao, Michaela Wilhelm, Kurosch Rezwan
Summary: Asymmetric porous SiOC membranes with different pore characteristics and morphology were successfully produced using the phase inversion tape casting technique. By adjusting the pyrolysis temperature and slurry composition, the structure and surface characteristics of the membrane can be tailored, resulting in improved mechanical strength and water permeation fluxes. The asymmetric structure of the membranes was found to minimize mass transport limitations, showing advantages in water filtration applications.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Maarten Bastin, Kristof Bogaert, Elke Dom, Rhea Verbeke, Ivo F. J. Vankelecom
Summary: This article introduces a new epoxy curing method that can be used for membrane preparation and has been successfully applied in solvent-tolerant nanofiltration experiments. UF membranes with a retention for bovine serum albumin of -40% and a water permeance of 171 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 were prepared, and selective top layers were synthesized on these supports layers via interfacial polymerization or interfacial initiation of polymerization. The testing results showed that these membranes have excellent separation performance in solvent-water mixtures.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thamer Diwan, Zaidun N. Abudi, Mustafa H. Al-Furaiji, Arian Nijmeijer
Summary: In this study, various concentrations of electrospun and cast Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes were compared in terms of surface morphology, wettability, and porosity. The results showed that increasing the PAN precursor solution concentration improves membrane performance by increasing surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and porosity. In general, the electrospun PAN membranes performed better than the cast PAN membranes in terms of water flux and oil rejection.
