Abstract
Electrospun nanofiber membrane-supported thin film composite (TFC)
membranes exhibit great potential in water purification. In this work,
electrospun polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) nanofiber membranes were prepared
and modified by heat and plasma treatments. The resulting membranes were
used as support layers for biomimetic TFC-based forward osmosis
membranes. Thermal treatment transformed a loose non-woven nanofiber
structure into a robust interconnected 3-dimensional PPSU network
displaying a 930% increase in elastic modulus, 853% increase in maximum
stress, and two-fold increase in breaking strain. Superior
hydrophilicity of PPSU nanofiber membranes was achieved by low-pressure
plasma treatment, changing the contact angle from 137° to 0°. The
fabricated exemplary TFC-based forward osmosis membrane showed an
osmotic water flux Jw > 14 L m−2 h−1 with a very low reserve salt flux Js (Js/Jw = 0.08 g L−1)
demonstrating the potential for making high quality membranes for water
treatment using PPSU-based support layers for TFC membranes.
Original language | English |
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Journal | R S C Advances |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
Pages (from-to) | 278-286 |
ISSN | 2046-2069 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 |