PVDF/MOFs mixed matrix ultrafiltration membrane for efficient water treatment

Lilantian Cheng; Zixun Zhou; Lei Li; Pei Xiao; Yun Ma; Fei Liu; Jian Li

doi:10.3389/fchem.2022.985750

PVDF/MOFs mixed matrix ultrafiltration membrane for efficient water treatment

Front Chem. 2022 Aug 12:10:985750. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2022.985750. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Lilantian Cheng¹, Zixun Zhou¹, Lei Li¹, Pei Xiao¹, Yun Ma², Fei Liu², Jian Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Anaerobic Biotechnology, School of Environmental and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Science Center for Future Foods, School of Food Science and Technology, International Joint Laboratory on Food Safety, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China.

Abstract

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), with excellent mechanical strength, thermal stability and chemical corrosion resistance, has become an excellent material for separation membranes fabrication. However, the high hydrophobicity of PVDF membrane surface normally leads a decreased water permeability and serious membrane pollution, which ultimately result in low operational efficiency, short lifespan of membrane, high operation cost and other problems. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), have been widely applied for membrane modification due to its large specific surface area, large porosity and adjustable pore size. Currently, numerous MOFs have been synthesized and used to adjust the membrane separation properties. In this study, MIL-53(Al) were blended with PVDF casting solution to prepare ultrafiltration (UF) membrane through a phase separation technique. The optimal separation performance was achieved by varying the concentration of MIL-53(Al). The surface properties and microstructures of the as-prepared membranes with different MIL-53(Al) loading revealed that the incorporation of MIL-53(Al) enhanced the membrane hydrophilicity and increased the porosity and average pore size of the membrane. The optimal membrane decorated with 5 wt% MIL-53(Al) possessed a pure water permeability up to 43.60 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1, while maintaining higher rejections towards BSA (82.09%). Meanwhile, the prepared MIL-53(Al)/LiCl@PVDF membranes exhibited an excellent antifouling performance.

Keywords: MIL-53(Al); PVDF; antifouling; mixed matrix membrane; ultrafiltration.