Visible-light-induced ultrafast preparation of PDMS membrane for the pervaporative separation of furfural

Recently, the preparation of polymeric membranes by UV-induced polymerization is encouraged due to the ultrafast curing and controllable operation. However, the long-period exposure under UV light has a great threat to both the environment and operators. Herein, we developed the visible-light-induced polymerized PDMS membrane for the pervaporative separation of furfural . The differences among photoinitiator ethyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphinate (TPO-L), diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (TPO) and 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone (1173) in the polymerization kinetics , membrane structure and separation performance are compared. Results show that the absorbance of TPO-L matches 405 nm of the visible light region; and it can be well dispersed and compatible with PDMS and obtain high initiation efficiency. Furthermore, the conditions including TPO-L concentration and PDMS viscosity are optimized, and the prepared membrane has an outstanding pervaporation performance containing 1299.5 g m −2  h −1 of total flux and 40.2 of furfural separation factor. Importantly, the ultrafast and continuous preparation process of membrane is operated by a home-made machine, indicating the wonderful potential for its large-scale application.