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Polytetrafluoroethylene Sputtered PES Membranes for Membrane Distillation: Influence of RF Magnetron Sputtering Conditions

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Abstract

Thin films of fluorocarbon were deposited on polyethersulfone membranes via argon plasma sputtering of a poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) target in an RF magnetron plasma reactor. The obtained deposited ultrathin coatings had nanoscale roughnesses and high degrees of fluorination. The intensity of fluorine atom in plasma environment during fluorocarbon deposition was investigated. Depending on the deposition conditions comprising working gas pressure, applied RF power, and distance between the target and the substrate, polymeric films with different chemical compositions and/or morphologies were obtained. The morphologies of the films were analyzed by means of SEM, XPS, and AFM. The results suggested that the sputtered film deposited at a higher pressure and longer target–substrate distance and moderate RF power had a surface composition and chemical structure closer to those of the PTFE film. The treated hydrophobic PES membranes with water contact angles as high as 115° were applied for the first time in an air gap membrane distillation setup for removal of benzene as a volatile organic compound from water. The results showed that the plasma-treated membranes have a comparable or superior performance to that of commercial PTFE used in membrane distillation with similar permeate flux and separation factor after 20 h long term performance.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Iran National Science Foundation for their financial support. The French consulate in Iran is acknowledged for awarding the mobility scholarship in France to S. Pedram.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum Engineering Department, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Research Center of Iran, PO Box 14335-186, Tehran, Iran

    Sara Pedram & Hamid R. Mortaheb

  2. UMR8235, LISE, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 6, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252, Paris, France

    Houssam Fakhouri & Farzaneh Arefi-Khonsari

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  1. Sara Pedram
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  2. Hamid R. Mortaheb
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Correspondence to Hamid R. Mortaheb.

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Pedram, S., Mortaheb, H.R., Fakhouri, H. et al. Polytetrafluoroethylene Sputtered PES Membranes for Membrane Distillation: Influence of RF Magnetron Sputtering Conditions. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 37, 223–241 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-016-9769-3

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