Enhanced ethanol pervaporative selectivity of polydimethylsiloxane membranes by incorporating with graphene oxide@silica core-shell structure

A graphene oxide@silica core-shell structure (GO@silica) was prepared and embedded into the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to fabricate mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). Meanwhile, (3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)triethoxysilane (TFTS) was employed to improve the compatibility between PDMS and GO@silica and create a hydrophobic membrane surface for improving the ethanol pervaporative performance. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) result showed that the resultant PDMS/GO@silica MMMs were smooth and defect-free. Meanwhile, the increase in hydrophobicity, swelling degree, and PV performance was achieved because of the incorporation of the modified GO@silica. The maximal separation factor of 11.43 coupled with a high permeation flux of 223 g·m⁻²·h⁻¹ was observed when separating a 10 wt. % ethanol/water mixture at 30°C. Moreover, the MMMs displayed a stable PV performance during a 168-h continuous operation.     

Three‐component mixed matrix organic/inorganic hybrid membranes for pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixture

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were made by incorporating vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS)‐modified Silicalite‐1 zeolite nanoparticles (V‐Silicalite‐1 NPs) into fluorinated polybenzoxazine (F‐PBZ) modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer through in situ polymerization method. The membrane morphology, surface wettability, and pervaporation performance were systematically investigated. The addition of F‐PBZ into PDMS membranes resulted in substantially improved flux and marginal increase of separation factor, which is the result of higher free volume and higher hydrophobicity caused by the addition of F‐PBZ. The modification of Silicalite‐1 NPs improved the interfacial contact between zeolite crystals and polymer phase. The incorporation of hydrophobic V‐Silicalite‐1 zeolite NPs into the PDMS membranes led to much higher separation factor but reduced flux, which is the result of increased hydrophobicity and reduced free volume. The three‐component MMMs with V‐Silicalite‐1 zeolite NPs in the F‐PBZ fluorinated PDMS exhibited separation factor of 28.7 and flux of 0.207 kg m^?2 h^?1 for 5 wt % ethanol aqueous solution at 50 °C, while the pure PDMS membranes only had separation factor of 4.8 and flux of 0.088 kg m^?2 h^?1. The substantial increase of both flux and separation factor were attributed to the higher hydrophobicity and free volume caused by the incorporation of both hydrophobic zeolite crystals and F‐PBZ polymer into the PDMS membranes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44753.     

Preparation and characterization of Silicalite‐1/PDMS surface sieving pervaporation membrane for separation of ethanol/water mixture

To improve the pervaporation performance of Silicalite‐1/PDMS composite membrane by adding a small amount of Silicalite‐1 zeolite, novel Silicalite‐1/PDMS surface sieving membranes (SSMs) were prepared by attaching Silicalite‐1 particles on the PDMS membrane surface. The obtained membranes and traditional mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) were characterized by SEM, XRD, TGA, FT‐IR, and pervaporation separation of ethanol–water mixture. Effects of Silicalite‐1 particles content, feed temperatures, and feed compositions on the separation performance were discussed. From the cross‐section view SEM images of SSMs, a two‐layer structure was observed. The thickness of the Silicalite‐1 layer was about 300 nm to 2 μm. The TGA analysis indicates that the zeolite concentration in 3 wt % SSM is lower than 10 wt % MMMs. In the ethanol/water pervaporation experiment, the separation factor of Silicalite‐1/PDMS SSMs increased considerably compared with pure PDMS membrane. When the suspensions concentrations of Silicalite‐1 particles reached 3 wt %, the separation factor was about 217% increase over pure PDMS membrane and 52.9% increase over 10 wt % Silicalite‐1/PDMS MMMs. As the ethanol concentration in the feed increases, the separation factor of SSMs increases, whereas permeation flux decreases. At the same time, with increasing operating temperature, the permeation flux of SSMs increased. The stability of SSMs at high temperature is better than the traditional MMMs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42460.     

Chitosan/ZIF‐8 Mixed‐Matrix Membranes for Pervaporation Dehydration of Isopropanol

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF‐8) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and embedded into a chitosan (CS) polymeric matrix to prepare CS/ZIF‐8 mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs) in order to investigate the effect of ZIF‐8 addition as novel filler on the dehydration performance of the CS polymeric membrane. MMMs were evaluated using pervaporation (PV) dehydration of isopropanol (IPA). The synthesized ZIF‐8 nanoparticles and MMMs were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and a swelling study. The PV performance of the prepared MMMs with different ZIF‐8 loadings for IPA dehydration was investigated. For the ZIF‐8/CS MMMs, at the optimum loading the total flux increases significantly with low separation factor reduction. The good PV performance of the ZIF‐8‐incorporated CS membranes for dehydration of IPA is demonstrated.     

Regulatable pervaporation performance of Zn-MOFs/polydimethylsiloxane mixed matrix pervaporation membranes

Pervaporation (PV) is an emerging separation technique for liquid mixture. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) often demonstrate trade-off relationship between separation factor and flux. In this study, by changing the organic linkers (2-methyl imidazolate, imidazole-2-carboxaldehyde, 2-ethyl imidazolate), ZIF-8, ZIF-90 and MAF-6 were prepared and filled in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes for dealcoholization of 5% (mass) n-butanol solution, and the membranes properties and pervaporation performances were adjusted. Compared with the pure PDMS membrane, the addition of ZIF-8 resulted in a 9% increase in flux (1136 g·m^-2·h^-1) and a 22.5% increase in separation factor (28.3), displaying anti-trade-off effect. For the MAF-6/PDMS MMMs (2.0% mass loading), the pervaporation separation index (PSI) and separation factor were 32347 g·m^-2·h^-1 and 58.6 respectively (increased by 34% and 154% in contrast with that of the pure PDMS membrane), and the corresponding permeation flux was 552 g·m^-2·h^-1, presenting great potential in the removal butanol from water. It was deduced that the large aperture size combined with moderate hydrophobicity of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) favor the concurrent increase in permeability and selectivity.     

Ethanol perm‐selective B‐ZSM‐5 zeolite membranes from dilute solutions

Boron‐substituted MFI (B‐ZSM‐5) zeolite membranes with high pervaporation (PV) performance were prepared onto seeded inexpensive macroporous α‐Al₂O₃ supports from dilute solution and explored for the separation of ethanol/water mixtures by PV. The effects of several parameters on microstructures and PV performance of the B‐ZSM‐5 membranes were examined systematically, including the seed size, synthesis temperature, crystallization time, B/Si ratio, H₂O/SiO₂ ratio and silica source. A continuous and compact B‐ZSM‐5 membrane was fabricated from solution containing 1 tetraethyl orthosilicate/0.2 tetrapropylammonium hydroxide/0.06 boric acid/600 H₂O at 448 K for 24 h, showing a separation factor of 55 and a flux of 2.6 kg/m² h along with high reproducibility for a 5 wt % ethanol/water mixture at 333 K. It was demonstrated that the incorporation of boron into mobile five (MFI) structure could increase the hydrophobicity of B‐ZSM‐5 membrane evidenced by the improved contact angle and amount of the adsorbed ethanol, and thus enhance the PV property for ethanol/water mixtures. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2447–2458, 2016     

Preparation of novel ZSM‐5 zeolite‐filled chitosan membranes for pervaporation separation of dimethyl carbonate/methanol mixtures

Novel mixed matrix membranes were prepared by incorporating ZSM‐5 zeolite into chitosan polymer for the pervaporative separation of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from methanol. These membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) to assess their morphology, intermolecular interactions, and crystallinity. Sorption studies indicated that the degree of swelling for zeolite‐filled membranes increased with zeolite content in the membrane increasing and the separation selectivity of DMC/methanol was dominated by solubility selectivity rather than diffusivity selectivity. The characteristics of these membranes for separating DMC/methanol mixtures were investigated by varying zeolite content, feed composition, and operating temperature. The pervaporation separation index (PSI) showed that 5 wt % of ZSM‐5 zeolite‐filled membrane gave the optimum performance in the PV process. From the temperature‐dependent permeation values, the Arrhenius activation parameters were estimated. The resulting lower activation energy values obtained for zeolite‐filled membranes contribute to the framework of the zeolite. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Comparison of the pervaporation separation of a water–acetonitrile mixture with zeolite‐filled sodium alginate and poly(vinyl alcohol)–polyaniline semi‐interpenetrating polymer network membranes

The pervaporation (PV) separation performance of ZSM‐5‐ and Na‐Y‐type zeolite‐filled sodium alginate (NaAlg) membranes were compared with those of pure NaAlg and semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with polyaniline (PANI) for the dehydration of acetonitrile. The PV separation characteristics of the zeolite‐filled membranes showed a dependence on the nature of the zeolites. The variation of the acidity function of the ZSM‐5 zeolite had an influence on the flux and selectivity of the membranes when compared to unfilled membranes. The crosslinked membranes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Increasing the PANI content of the semi‐IPN network increased the separation selectivity. Among the NaAlg membranes, the plain NaAlg membrane showed the highest selectivity of 414 at 30 mass % water in the feed mixture, whereas the Na‐Y‐ and ZSM‐5 (40)‐filled NaAlg membranes exhibited much lower values of selectivity, that is, 7.3 and 4.3, respectively for 30 mass % water in the feed. When the flux and selectivity data of ZSM‐5 (250)‐filled NaAlg membranes were compared with that of Na‐Y‐ or ZSM‐5 (40)‐filled NaAlg membranes, a noticeable increase in the selectivity for the ZSM‐5 (250)‐filled NaAlg membrane was observed, but a somewhat comparable flux was observed compared to the plain NaAlg membrane. For the first time, PANI was polymerized with PVA to yield a semi‐IPN. The total flux and water flux increased systematically, whereas the selectivity decreased greatly from 251.87 to 5.95 with increasing amounts of water in the feed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1968–1978, 2005     

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Carboxyl Graphene Membranes for Ethanol Dehydration by Pervaporation

Carboxyl graphene (CG) with two functions of hybridization and crosslinking was incorporated into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix to form PVA/CG mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs). The membranes demonstrated excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability. The improved hydrophilicity and formed crosslinking structure led to moderate swelling. The membrane crystallinity decreased and the free volume was promoted with increasing CG loading amount. The pervaporation (PV) separation performance for ethanol dehydration indicated that both permeation flux and separation factor were enhanced simultaneously at the optimum CG loading. Subsequently, the permeation flux continued to increase while the separation factor declined at higher CG loadings.     

A polyvinyl alcohol-based mixed matrix membrane with uniformly distributed Schiff base network-1 for ethanol dehydration

In this study, Schiff base network (SNW)-1 nanoparticles with high hydrophilicity and large specific surface area were used to prepare polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), which were evaluated for ethanol dehydration. Because of the low difference of density between SNW-1 and PVA, the as-prepared nanoparticles can be uniformly distributed into the PVA active layer. The effects of SNW-1 loading, feed temperature, and water concentration on pervaporation (PV) performance were further studied. The results showed the MMM with 10 wt% of SNW-1 loading exhibited a separation factor of 1,501 and a permeation flux of 187 g m⁻² h⁻¹ for feeding 95 wt% ethanol/water binary solution at 75°C. Overall, the SNW-1/PVA MMMs showed great prospect in ethanol dehydration via PV.     

TS‐1 molecular sieves filled polydimethylsiloxane membranes for ethanol/water separation via pervaporation

TS‐1 molecular sieves were synthesized and characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Results showed that the morphology, crystallinity, and purity of TS‐1 were closely related to the Ti/Si ratio, crystallization time, crystallization temperature, and calcination time. The TS‐1 particles were incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane to form mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), and these MMMs were first used to separate ethanol/water mixtures via pervaporation. The MMMs with 50 wt% TS‐1 (Ti/Si ratio of 0.02) loading showed the highest separation factor of 14.1 for 5 wt% ethanol feed concentration at 50°C. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:583–589, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Poly(vinyl alcohol)/ZIF‐8‐NH2 mixed matrix membranes for ethanol dehydration via pervaporation

Ethanediamine‐modified zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)‐8 particles (ZIF‐8‐NH₂) is synthesized and incorporated in the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix to fabricate novel PVA/ZIF‐8‐NH₂ mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for pervaporation dehydration of ethanol. The PVA/ZIF‐8‐NH₂ MMMs exhibit enhanced membrane homogeneity and separation performance because of the higher hydrophilicity and restricted agglomeration of the particles, as compared to corresponding MMMs loaded with unmodified particles. The effect of ZIF‐8‐NH₂ loading in the MMMs is studied and the MMM with a 7.5 wt % ZIF‐8‐NH₂ loading shows the best pervaporation performance for ethanol dehydration at 40°C. Various characterization techniques (Fourier transform infrared, scanning electron microscope, contact angle, sorption test, etc.) are used to investigate the MMMs loaded with ZIF‐8 and ZIF‐8‐NH₂ particles. The impact of operation conditions on pervaporation performance is also performed. The performance benchmarking shows that the MMMs have superior separation factors and comparable flux to most other PVA hybrid membranes. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 1728–1739, 2016     

Modified polydimethylsiloxane/polystyrene blended IPN pervaporation membrane for ethanol/water separation

In this article a modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) blended polystyrene (PS) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) membranes supported by Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) ultrafiltration membrane were prepared for the separation of ethanol in water by pervaporation application. The relationship between the surface characteristics of the surface‐modified PDMS membranes and their permselectivity for aqueous ethanol solutions by pervaporation are discussed. The IPN supported membranes were prepared by sequential IPN technique. The IPN supported membrane were tested for the separation performance on 10 wt % ethanol in water and were characterized by evaluating their mechanical properties, swelling behavior, density, and degree of crosslinking. The results indicated that separation performance, mechanical properties, density, and the percentage of swelling of IPN membranes were influenced by degree of crosslink density. Depending on the feed temperature, the supported membranes had separation factors between 2.03 and 6.00 and permeation rates between 81.66 and 144.03 g m^?2 h^?1. For the azeotropic water–ethanol mixture (10 wt % ethanol), the supported membrane had at 30°C a separation factor of 6.00 and a permeation rate of 85 g m^?2 h^?1. Compared to the PDMS supported membranes, the PDMS/PS IPN supported blend membrane ones had a higher selectivity but a somewhat lower permeability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

碳纳米管填充PDMS膜的渗透汽化性能

将碳纳米管（CNTs）填充到PDMS中制备出CNTs/PDMS杂化膜,并将其用于乙醇/水体系的分离,发现由多壁碳纳米管制备的膜分离性能优于单壁碳纳米管填充膜,在40℃下,进料乙醇浓度为5%（质量分数）时,膜的分离因子可由8.3提高到10.0,渗透通量为206.2 g·（m²·h）^-1;采用十二烷基三氯硅烷对多壁碳纳米管进行修饰,并对修饰前后碳纳米管的性能进行表征,研究表明修饰后碳纳米管表面形成疏水层,碳纳米管的疏水性增强;将修饰后的碳纳米管填充到PDMS中,可进一步提高杂化膜对乙醇的选择性,膜的分离因子可提高到11.3,渗透通量为130.9 g·（m²·h）^-1。     

纳米白炭黑填充硅橡胶复合膜的制备与渗透汽化分离性能

制备以聚酯(PET)为支撑层,白炭黑填充的聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS107)为皮层的硅橡胶复合膜,并以乙醇水物系为料液,对比分析白炭黑增强硅橡胶复合膜的渗透蒸发分离性能,分离因子比空白膜有所提高,在乙醇浓度为3%～5%时,分离因子可达16.09,渗透通量为75.39 g/m2·h;测定填充白炭黑硅橡胶复合膜的拉伸强度,结果表明:拉伸强度可达1.828 MPa,相当于空白膜(0.368 MPa)的5倍.     

ZIF-L/PDMS混合基质膜蒸气渗透耦合发酵强化乙醇生产效率的研究

蒸气渗透（VP）膜分离不存在膜污染风险,在生物乙醇生产中具有广阔的应用前景。将聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）膜和以二维沸石咪唑骨架（ZIF-L）为填充基质制备的PDMS（ZIF-L/PDMS）混合基质膜,分别用于VP膜分离与菊粉水解液发酵制乙醇过程的耦合,分析了二者在耦合过程中的分离性能和发酵性能。探究了不同膜分离方式、不同类型膜及操作条件对膜分离性能的影响。实验结果表明,当料液浓度为5%（质量）、蒸气循环流量为1.5 L·min^-1时,ZIF-L/PDMS混合基质膜的VP性能高于渗透汽化（PV）,归一化总通量达到1148.78 g·m^-2·h^-1,分离因子高达19.14,显著提升了乙醇分离性能。ZIF-L/PDMS混合基质膜用于VP耦合发酵,实现了耦合过程的高渗透性和乙醇选择性,与文献报道相比,乙醇移除效果最优,乙醇产率和时空产率分别达到0.421 g·g^-1、3.07 g·L^-1·h^-1,两个指标明显高于单独发酵,极大地提高了乙醇生产效率。因此,ZIF-L/PDMS混合基质膜在原位分离发酵乙醇方面具有很大的应用潜力。     

碳纳米管/环糊精金属有机骨架协同强化混合基质膜的CO2分离

为了实现混合基质膜中CO₂的高效分离,设计了羧基化多壁碳纳米管(CNT)和氨基化β-环糊精金属有机骨架(β-CD MOF)双填料(CM),并将其引入磺化聚醚醚酮(SPEEK)基质中,在膜内同时构建CO₂扩散通道和亲和位点,增强了混合基质膜的分离性能。采用FTIR和BET表征了CM的化学结构和孔结构,借助膜的SEM、FTIR和力学性能表征了填料-聚合物界面相互作用。研究了CM的合成比例、含量、压力、温度和混合气等因素对混合基质膜分离性能的影响。结果表明：CM与SPEEK之间具有良好的相容性并为气体分子提供了快速的传递通道。在改性CNT与MOF的质量比为5∶5、添加量为7%(质量)以及0.1 MPa和25℃的条件下,混合基质膜的分离性能最优,CO₂渗透性为844 Barrer,CO₂/N₂选择性为84,与纯SPEEK膜相比,分别提升了178%和163%,超过2019年上限。羧基化CNT的直孔通道缩短了CO₂的扩散路径,同时改性β-CD MOF表面的氨基载体提升了CO₂的溶解性,两者协同提高了混合基质膜的分离性能。此外,负载双填料的膜比单独负载相同含量的羧基化CNT或氨基化MOF的膜具有更好的分离性能。在360 h的测试过程中,混合基质膜保持较好的分离稳定性。     

碳纳米管/环糊精金属有机骨架协同强化混合基质膜的CO2分离

为了实现混合基质膜中CO₂的高效分离,设计了羧基化多壁碳纳米管(CNT)和氨基化β-环糊精金属有机骨架(β-CD MOF)双填料(CM),并将其引入磺化聚醚醚酮(SPEEK)基质中,在膜内同时构建CO₂扩散通道和亲和位点,增强了混合基质膜的分离性能。采用FTIR和BET表征了CM的化学结构和孔结构,借助膜的SEM、FTIR和力学性能表征了填料-聚合物界面相互作用。研究了CM的合成比例、含量、压力、温度和混合气等因素对混合基质膜分离性能的影响。结果表明：CM与SPEEK之间具有良好的相容性并为气体分子提供了快速的传递通道。在改性CNT与MOF的质量比为5∶5、添加量为7%(质量)以及0.1 MPa和25℃的条件下,混合基质膜的分离性能最优,CO₂渗透性为844 Barrer,CO₂/N₂选择性为84,与纯SPEEK膜相比,分别提升了178%和163%,超过2019年上限。羧基化CNT的直孔通道缩短了CO₂的扩散路径,同时改性β-CD MOF表面的氨基载体提升了CO₂的溶解性,两者协同提高了混合基质膜的分离性能。此外,负载双填料的膜比单独负载相同含量的羧基化CNT或氨基化MOF的膜具有更好的分离性能。在360 h的测试过程中,混合基质膜保持较好的分离稳定性。     

Preparation and characterization of poly(dimethylsiloxane)-polytetrafluoroethylene (PDMS-PTFE) composite membrane for pervaporation of chloroform from aqueous solution

Hydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane — polytetrafluoroethylene (PDMS-PTFE) flat-sheet membranes for pervaporation (PV) of chloroform from aqueous solution were successfully fabricated by solution casting method. The structures and the performance of the membranes was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDXS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the tests of contact angle and mechanical properties. The adding of PTFE particles (<4 μm) in the PDMS matrix enhanced the crystallinity, hydrophobicity, mechanical strength and thermal stability of the membranes. The examinations showed that the PTFE filled PDMS membranes exhibited striking advantages in flux and separation factor as compared with unfilled PDMS membranes. All the filled PDMS membranes with different PTFE content showed excellent PV properties for the separation of chloroform from water. When the content of the PTFE additive in PDMS composite membrane was 30 wt%, membrane performance was the best at feed temperature 50 °C and permeate-side vacuum 0.101MPa. For the 30% PTFE-PDMS membrane, with the increase of the feed temperature from 30 to 60 °C, the total, water and chloroform fluxes as well as the separation factor increased, the apparent activation energy (ΔEa) of total, chloroform and water were 21.08, 66.65 and 11.49 KJ/mol, respectively, with an increase of chloroform concentration in the feed from 50 to 950 ppm, total, water and chloroform fluxes increased but the separation factor decreased.     

Silicalite‐Filled PEBA Membranes for Recovering Ethanol from Aqueous Solution by Pervaporation

Pervaporation (PV) performances of silicalite‐filled polyether‐block‐amide (PEBA) membranes for separation of ethanol/water mixtures have been studied. The effects of silicalite content, ethanol concentration in feed, and feed temperature on the PV performances of the membranes have been investigated. It is found that addition of silicalite can improve PV performances of PEBA membranes. When the silicalite content is 2.0 wt %, both permeation flux and separation factor reach the maximum values, which are 833 g/m²h and 3.6, respectively. With increasing of ethanol in the feed and feed temperature, both separation factor and total flux increased. The higher permeation activation energy of ethanol (E_ethanol = 21.62 kJ/mol) compared to that of water (E_water = 18.33 kJ/mol) for the 2.0 wt% silicalite‐filled PEBA membrane accounts for the increase of the separation factor with feed temperature.