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Highly hydrophilic poly(vinylidene fluoride)/meso-titania hybrid mesoporous membrane for photocatalytic membrane reactor in water.

ABSTRACT: The high hydrophobicity of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane remains an obstacle to be applied in some purification processes of water or wastewater. Herein, a highly hydrophilic hybrid mesoporous titania membrane composed of mesoporous anatase titania (meso-TiO2) materials inside the three-dimensional (3D) macropores of PVDF membrane was successfully prepared by using the dual-templated synthesis method combined with solvent extraction and applied as the photocatalytic membrane reactor for the photodegredation of organic dye in water. The structure and the properties of as-prepared hybrid membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), nitrogen adsorption-desorption and contact angle measurements. It was found that the hydrophilicity of PVDF membrane can be significantly improved by filling mesoporous TiO2 inside the 3D macropores of PVDF membrane. Moreover, such a PVDF/meso-TiO2 hybrid membrane exhibits promising photocatalytic degradation of dye in water due to the existence of mesoporous anatase TiO2 materials inside PVDF membrane. This study provides a new strategy to simultaneously introduce hydrophilicity and some desirable properties into PVDF and other hydrophobic membranes.

SUBMITTER: Wang M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4709575 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Through nanochannels are created in the polymer/hybrid films by irradiating swift heavy ions followed by selective chemical etching of the amorphous latent track caused by irradiation. The dimensions of the nanochannels are varied from 30 to 100 nm by either using small (lithium) and large (silver) size of swift heavy ions with high energy (80 MeV) or by embedding few percentage of two-dimensional nanoparticle in the polymer matrix. The side walls of the nanochannels are grafted with polystyrene using the free radicals created during irradiation. Polystyrene graft is functionalized by tagging sulfonate group in the benzene ring of polystyrene to make the nanochannels conducting and hydrophilic. The proof of grafting and functionalization is shown through various spectroscopic techniques. The relaxation behavior and thermal stability of graft polymer within the nanochannel are shown through different thermal measurements. Nanoclay in nanohybrid nucleates the piezoelectric phase in the polymer matrix whose extent is further increased in grafted and functionalized specimen. Functionalized nanochannels exclusively facilitate proton conducting, whereas the remaining part of the film is electroactive, making it as a smart membrane. Greater water uptake, ion exchange capacity (IEC), high activation energy (8.3 × 103 J mol-1), and high proton conduction (3.5 S m-1) make these functionalized nanohybrid film a superior membrane. Membrane electrode assembly has been made to check the suitability of these membranes for fuel cell application. Open circuit voltage and potential are significantly high for nanohybrid membrane (0.6 V) as compared to pure polymer (0.53 V). Direct methanol fuel cell testing using the membrane assembly exhibit a considerable high power density of ∼400 W m-2, making these developed membranes suitable for fuel cell application and providing the ability to replace standard membrane like Nafion, as the methanol permeability is low, thus raising the higher selectivity parameter of the nanohybrid membrane.

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Highly hydrophilic poly(vinylidene fluoride)/meso-titania hybrid mesoporous membrane for photocatalytic membrane reactor in water.

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