Fouling resistance improvement with a new superhydrophobic electrospun PVDF membrane for seawater desalination

With excellent water repellency, superhydrophobic membranes are good candidates for membrane distillation (MD). In this study, a new superhydrophobic electrospun poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) membrane was prepared and applied to the MD type desalination. The casting solution compositions were optimized to produce a rough surface with porous microspheres. The membranes exhibited an acceptable permeability with a contact angle of 152.4 degrees, which were ideal for MD desalination applications. After desalinated real seawater for 120 h, the proposed membrane displayed more stable permeate flux than the conventional PVDF membrane. The desalinated water with the newly developed membrane had a lower conductivity owing to the fouling resistance of membrane caused by the air gap formed between the feed solution and the membrane. The developed membrane provides a possible strategy for improving the long-term efficiency of MD type seawater desalination.