Achieving durable hydrophilic modification of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) through organic/inorganic hybridization strategy

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is widely used for wastewater treatment and desalination in industry. However, the hydrophobicity of PTFE hampers water penetration and increases energy consumption in water purification. In this investigation, organic/inorganic hybridization was employed to attain enduring hydrophilicity on PTFE films. Initially, we utilized benzoin dianion/DMSO to generate unsaturated bonds. Then, acidic potassium permanganate was applied to transform these carbon–carbon unsaturated bonds into hydrophilic functional groups. The results demonstrated a decrease in water contact angles from 119 ± 1° for pristine PTFE films to 28 ± 2.5° after processing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the presence of introduced hydrophilic groups, including carbonyl (CO) and carboxyl (–COOH) groups, on the surface of the PTFE, and the hydrophilicity of the PTFE films was further improved by the inclusion of a manganese compound. Moreover, the robustness of the modification has been demonstrated under a range of challenging conditions. PTFE with a robust organic/inorganic hybrid coating holds promise for applications in wastewater treatment, offering an economic solution for the hydrophilic modification of PTFE used in water purification.