High Water Permeability Interfacial Polymerized PVDF/EAA Composite Nanofiltration Membrane for Dye Separation

We have successfully developed a PVDF/EAA [poly(vinylidene fluoride)/poly(ethylene acrylic acid)]-piperazine (PIP) composite nanofiltration membrane for dye isolation. In this paper, we conduct interfacial polymerization (IP) on PVDF/EAA composite membranes to generate a separation layer that aims at enhancement of the permeation flux of nanofiltration membranes. Subsequently, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the performance of the prepared samples. In addition, under the different concentrations of the PIP aqueous layer, an intensive study was resorted to gauge the effects of homotrimethylene tricarbonyl chloride (TMC) concentration and reaction time on the characteristics of nanofiltration membranes. Under the optimized situation, the pure water flux could reach 76.84 L/(m2 h) and the retention of bovine serum albumin (BSA), Congo red, and methylene blue could reach 96.34%, 97.93%, and 96.83%, respectively. Substantially, the nanofiltration membrane has good potential to be applied in dye wastewater treatment.