Atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2017.10.008

Chin.J.Chem.Eng. ›› 2018, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (4): 695-700.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2017.10.008

• Separation Science and Engineering • Previous Articles Next Articles

Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances

Xiaojuan Jia¹, Zexian Low², He Chen¹, Sen Xiong¹, Yong Wang¹

1 State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, and College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China;
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Received:2017-08-21 Revised:2017-10-24 Online:2018-05-19 Published:2018-04-28
Contact: Yong Wang,E-mail address:yongwang@njtech.edu.cn
Supported by:
Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB655301), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20150063), the Program of Excellent Innovation Teams of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and the Project of Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances

Xiaojuan Jia¹, Zexian Low², He Chen¹, Sen Xiong¹, Yong Wang¹

1 State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials, and College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, China;
2 Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

通讯作者: Yong Wang,E-mail address:yongwang@njtech.edu.cn
基金资助:
Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2015CB655301), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20150063), the Program of Excellent Innovation Teams of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions, and the Project of Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).

Abstract

Abstract: Porous polypropylene hollow fiber (PPHF) membranes are widely used in liquid purification. However, the hydrophobicity of polypropylene (PP) has limited its applications in water treatment. Herein, we demonstrate that, for the first time, atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an effective strategy to conveniently upgrade the filtration performances of PPHF membranes. The chemical and morphological changes of the deposited PPHF membranes are characterized by spectral, compositional, microscopic characterizations and protein adsorption measurements. Al₂O₃ is distributed along the cross section of the PP hollow fibers, with decreasing concentration from the outer surface to the inner surface. The pore size of the outer surface can be easily turned by altering the ALD cycles. Interestingly, the hollow fibers become much more ductile after deposition as their elongation at break is increased more than six times after deposition with 100 cycles. The deposited membranes show simultaneously enhanced water permeance and retention after deposition with moderate ALD cycle numbers. For instance, after 50 ALD cycles a 17% increase in water permeance and one-fold increase in BSA rejection are observed. Moreover, the PP membranes exhibit improved fouling-resistance after ALD deposition.

Key words: Polypropylene hollow fiber membranes, Atomic layer deposition, Alumina deposition, Anti-fouling, Surface modification

摘要： Porous polypropylene hollow fiber (PPHF) membranes are widely used in liquid purification. However, the hydrophobicity of polypropylene (PP) has limited its applications in water treatment. Herein, we demonstrate that, for the first time, atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an effective strategy to conveniently upgrade the filtration performances of PPHF membranes. The chemical and morphological changes of the deposited PPHF membranes are characterized by spectral, compositional, microscopic characterizations and protein adsorption measurements. Al₂O₃ is distributed along the cross section of the PP hollow fibers, with decreasing concentration from the outer surface to the inner surface. The pore size of the outer surface can be easily turned by altering the ALD cycles. Interestingly, the hollow fibers become much more ductile after deposition as their elongation at break is increased more than six times after deposition with 100 cycles. The deposited membranes show simultaneously enhanced water permeance and retention after deposition with moderate ALD cycle numbers. For instance, after 50 ALD cycles a 17% increase in water permeance and one-fold increase in BSA rejection are observed. Moreover, the PP membranes exhibit improved fouling-resistance after ALD deposition.

关键词: Polypropylene hollow fiber membranes, Atomic layer deposition, Alumina deposition, Anti-fouling, Surface modification

Xiaojuan Jia, Zexian Low, He Chen, Sen Xiong, Yong Wang. Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances[J]. Chin.J.Chem.Eng., 2018, 26(4): 695-700.

Xiaojuan Jia, Zexian Low, He Chen, Sen Xiong, Yong Wang. Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2018, 26(4): 695-700.

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Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances

Atomic layer deposition of Al₂O₃ on porous polypropylene hollow fibers for enhanced membrane performances

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