Articolo in rivista, 2021, ENG, 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118654

Microfiber aligned hollow fiber membranes from immiscible polymer solutions by phase inversion

Jung J.T.; Wang H.H.; Kim J.F.; Jeon S.M.; Park S.H.; Lee W.H.; Moon S.J.; Drioli E.; Lee Y.M.

Department of Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Department of Energy Engineering, College of Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea, , South Korea; Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, 21999, Department of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Incheon National University, Incheon, 21999, Republic of Korea, , South Korea; Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR), Via P. Bucci 17/C, Rende, CS, 1-87030, Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR), Via P. Bucci 17/C, 1-87030 Rende, CS, Italy, , Italy

In this study, we report for the first time a pioneering method to prepare membranes with a fibrous morphology via phase inversion with extremely high pore connectivity. Microfiber aligned hollow fiber membranes were prepared via a polymer blend solution consisting of poly (vinylidene fluoride) with polysulfone in PolarClean® as a green solvent. The microfiber structure appeared only when controlled phase separation was performed with polymer blends. A systematic analysis has revealed that the shear rate and the reduced capillary number (?) of a blend solution significantly affected the morphology of the final membrane. The fabricated fibrous membranes exhibited six-fold higher water productivity compared to the best electrospun membranes reported in the literature, yet they remain highly scalable.

Journal of membrane science (Print) 617

Keywords

Microfiber alignment, phase inversion, Polymer immiscible solution, Hollow fiber membrane

CNR authors

Drioli Enrico

CNR institutes