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Tailoring Morphology of PVDF-HFP Membrane via One-step Reactive Vapor Induced Phase Separation for Efficient Oil-Water Separation

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Abstract

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) receives increasing attention in membrane separation field based on its advantages such as high mechanical strength, thermal and chemical stability. However, controlling the microporous structure is still challenging. In this work, we attempted to tailor the morphology of PVDF-HFP membrane via a one-step reactive vapor induced phase separation method. Namely, PVDF-HFP was dissolved in a volatile solvent and then was cast in an ammonia water vapor atmosphere. After complete evaporation of solvent, membranes with adjustable porous structure were prepared, and the microstructures of the membranes were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction characterizations. Based on the results, a mechanism of dehydrofluorination induced cross-linking of PVDF-HFP has been suggested to understand the morphology tailoring. To our knowledge, this is the first report of one-step reactive vapor induced phase separation strategy to tailor morphology of PVDF-HFP membrane. In addition, the membranes prepared in the ammonia water vapor exhibited enhanced mechanical strength and achieved satisfactory separation efficiency for water-in-oil emulsions, suggesting promising potential.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (No. 20720200040) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51273166).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Peng Huo, Cheng-Tang Zhong & Xiao-Peng Xiong

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  1. Peng Huo
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  2. Cheng-Tang Zhong
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  3. Xiao-Peng Xiong
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Correspondence to Xiao-Peng Xiong.

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Tailoring Morphology of PVDF-HFP Membrane via One-step Reactive Vapor Induced Phase Separation for Efficient Oil-Water Separation

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Huo, P., Zhong, CT. & Xiong, XP. Tailoring Morphology of PVDF-HFP Membrane via One-step Reactive Vapor Induced Phase Separation for Efficient Oil-Water Separation. Chin J Polym Sci 39, 610–619 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-021-2527-x

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