All-Polymeric Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membrane for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration
Syed Ibrahim Gnani Peer Mohamed, Siamak Nejati, Mona Bavarian
Abstract
The fabrication of chemically stable and high-permeance polymeric membranes, compatible with both polar and nonpolar solvents, for use in solvent filtration is reported. Herein, poly(divinylbenzene-co-perfluorodecyl acrylate) (poly(DVB-co-PFDA) nanoparticles (NPs) are synthesized and integrated into the active layer of a thin-film composite membrane, constructing a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane. The TFN membranes demonstrate stability in organic solvent and exhibit permeance in the range 13.7 L/(m2 h bar) for acetonitrile, with a molecular weight cutoff of ∼328 Da for the solute. The use of polymeric NPs, compatible with the polyamide layer of the membranes, is the main reason behind the improved performance.