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Optimization of water flux and salt rejection properties of polyamide thin film composite membranes
Author(s) -
Azizi Jaber,
Sharif Alireza
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.48858
Subject(s) - permeance , thin film composite membrane , materials science , chemical engineering , polyamide , hexane , membrane , solvent , interfacial polymerization , phase inversion , pulmonary surfactant , heptane , sodium dodecyl sulfate , sodium sulfate , polymer chemistry , reverse osmosis , sodium , chromatography , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , polymer , permeation , monomer , biochemistry , engineering , metallurgy
Optimizing synthesis factors of polyamide top layers is an important requirement in the design of thin film composite (TFC) membranes. In this research, the top layer fabrication method (conventional, heat curing, and spin coating), type of acid acceptor (sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, and triethylamine), type of organic phase solvent (hexane, heptane, and mixed hexane/heptane), and concentration of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (0, 0.5, and 1 wt %) are selected as the control parameters of this synthesis and optimized using the Taguchi approach. The analysis of variance shows that the layer fabrication method is the most influential parameter on water flux and salt (NaCl) rejection of TFCs. Furthermore, although the type of organic solvent has not a significant contribution to the water flux, it is another significant factor affecting the rejection. The optimized membrane is then used to construct structure–property relationships and to understand the influence of each individual factor on the desalination performance. Accordingly, a TFC membrane with the top layer fabricated by the heat curing method, in the presence of Na 2 CO 3 as the acid acceptor, hexane as the organic phase solvent and 0.5 wt % of the surfactant is prepared that shows water permeance of 2.73 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 and NaCl rejection of 98.1%. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137 , 48858.