Modified silicone-PVDF composite hollow-fiber membrane preparation and its application in VOC separation

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxanevi-poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PDMS vi-PVDF) composite membranes were prepared using asymmetric PVDF hollow-fiber membranes as the substrate where a very thin layer of silicone-based coating material was deposited via a developed dip coating method. The preparation of the composite membranes under various conditions were investigated. In the optimal coating procedure, homogenous and stable oligo-PDMSvi coating layers as thin as 1-2 μm were successfully deposited on the surface of PVDF membranes. The developed PDMS- vi-PVDF composite membranes were applied for separation of a wide variety of volatile organic compounds (benzene, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, and toluene). The results showed that the PDMSvi-PVDF hollow-fiber composite membranes that had been developed exhibited very high removal efficiency (>96%) for all the VOCs examined under favorable operating conditions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.