High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate

The inherent hydrophobic nature of PVDF material renders it challenging to establish a stable aqueous hydration layer, thereby limiting its suitability as a substrate for the preparation of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. In this study, we developed a novel modification approach that effectively enha...

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Main Authors: Junliang Dong, Qianzhi Sun, Xiaolin Feng, Ruijun Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Membranes
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/7/216
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author Junliang Dong
Qianzhi Sun
Xiaolin Feng
Ruijun Zhang
author_facet Junliang Dong
Qianzhi Sun
Xiaolin Feng
Ruijun Zhang
author_sort Junliang Dong
collection DOAJ
description The inherent hydrophobic nature of PVDF material renders it challenging to establish a stable aqueous hydration layer, thereby limiting its suitability as a substrate for the preparation of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. In this study, we developed a novel modification approach that effectively enhances the hydrophilicity of PVDF substrates through the incorporation of sulfonic acid-doped polyaniline (SPANI) and hyperbranched polyester (HPE) into the PVDF casting solution, followed by cross-linking with trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The introduction of SPANI and HPE, which contain reactive polar amino and hydroxyl groups, improved the hydrophilicity of the substrate, while the subsequent cross-linking with TMC effectively anchored these components within the substrate through the covalent linking between TMC and the reactive sites. Additionally, the hydrolysis of TMC yielded non-reactive carboxyl groups, which further enhanced the hydrophilicity of the substrate. As a result, the modified PVDF substrate exhibited improved hydrophilicity, facilitating the construction of an intact polyamide layer. In addition, the fabricated TFC NF membrane demonstrated excellent performance in the advanced treatment of tap water, achieving a total dissolved solid removal rate of 57.9% and a total organic carbon removal rate of 85.3%. This work provides a facile and effective route to modify PVDF substrates for NF membrane fabrication.
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spelling doaj-art-eb5422f2d1c6497fa0f2c397a2ca5f332025-08-20T02:47:17ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752025-07-0115721610.3390/membranes15070216High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) SubstrateJunliang Dong0Qianzhi Sun1Xiaolin Feng2Ruijun Zhang3School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaSchool of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaSchool of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaSchool of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, ChinaThe inherent hydrophobic nature of PVDF material renders it challenging to establish a stable aqueous hydration layer, thereby limiting its suitability as a substrate for the preparation of nanofiltration (NF) membranes. In this study, we developed a novel modification approach that effectively enhances the hydrophilicity of PVDF substrates through the incorporation of sulfonic acid-doped polyaniline (SPANI) and hyperbranched polyester (HPE) into the PVDF casting solution, followed by cross-linking with trimesoyl chloride (TMC). The introduction of SPANI and HPE, which contain reactive polar amino and hydroxyl groups, improved the hydrophilicity of the substrate, while the subsequent cross-linking with TMC effectively anchored these components within the substrate through the covalent linking between TMC and the reactive sites. Additionally, the hydrolysis of TMC yielded non-reactive carboxyl groups, which further enhanced the hydrophilicity of the substrate. As a result, the modified PVDF substrate exhibited improved hydrophilicity, facilitating the construction of an intact polyamide layer. In addition, the fabricated TFC NF membrane demonstrated excellent performance in the advanced treatment of tap water, achieving a total dissolved solid removal rate of 57.9% and a total organic carbon removal rate of 85.3%. This work provides a facile and effective route to modify PVDF substrates for NF membrane fabrication.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/7/216nanofiltration membranesubstratePVDFhydrophilicitydrinking water treatment
spellingShingle Junliang Dong
Qianzhi Sun
Xiaolin Feng
Ruijun Zhang
High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
Membranes
nanofiltration membrane
substrate
PVDF
hydrophilicity
drinking water treatment
title High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
title_full High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
title_fullStr High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
title_full_unstemmed High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
title_short High-Performance Thin Film Composite Nanofiltration (NF) Membrane Constructed on Modified Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Substrate
title_sort high performance thin film composite nanofiltration nf membrane constructed on modified polyvinylidene fluoride pvdf substrate
topic nanofiltration membrane
substrate
PVDF
hydrophilicity
drinking water treatment
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/15/7/216
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AT qianzhisun highperformancethinfilmcompositenanofiltrationnfmembraneconstructedonmodifiedpolyvinylidenefluoridepvdfsubstrate
AT xiaolinfeng highperformancethinfilmcompositenanofiltrationnfmembraneconstructedonmodifiedpolyvinylidenefluoridepvdfsubstrate
AT ruijunzhang highperformancethinfilmcompositenanofiltrationnfmembraneconstructedonmodifiedpolyvinylidenefluoridepvdfsubstrate