SiO2-PDMS-PVDF hollow fiber membrane with high flux for vacuum membrane distillation

In this study, hydrophobic asymmetric SiO 2 -PDMS-PVDF hollow fiber membranes were prepared for the vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). To make PVDF dope solution, hydrophobic nano-fumed silica (SiO 2 ) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were used. The effects of SiO 2 concentration on membrane parameters such as membrane morphology, hydrophobicity , porosity, thickness, pore size, liquid entry pressure , burst pressure, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy , thermal property, mechanical property and permeability were investigated. With the increasing of nano-particle concentration, membrane hydrophobicity, mechanical property and thermal stability improved. Furthermore, membrane VMD properties under various operation conditions were studied, the membranes showed a stable substantial flux of 44.27 LMH and a stable high salt rejection of over 99.9% under the optimum operation conditions of 75   °C, 35   g/L, 87   kPa, and 50   L/h. The results of our research demonstrated that the prepared hydrophobic asymmetric SiO 2 -PDMS-PVDF hollow fiber membranes not only had high permeability and good anti-wetting property but also exhibited a satisfying stability for the vacuum membrane distillation of desalination .