writer：Huang, Qing-lin Xiao, Chang-fa Hu, Xiao-yu Li, Xian-feng
keywords：Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) Flat-sheet membrane Hydrophobicity Vacuum membrane distillation
source：期刊
specific source：Desalination
Issue time：2011年
Hydrophobic poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) flat-sheet membranes were fabricated from a mixture of PTFE
emulsion and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) aqueous solution. Effects of blend ratio of PTFE to PVA on the
morphology and properties of the membrane were investigated. Morphologies of obtained membranes were
observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Unique PTFE ‘worm-like’ crystals were
observed in the PTFE membranes after sintering. As the PTFE/PVA mass ratio increased, the growth of the
‘worm-like’ crystals improved the hydrophobicity and mechanical strength of PTFE membrane. Moreover,
membranes were tested in vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) configuration, using distilled water as feed.
TheVMD flux increased at first and then decreased with the PTFE/PVAmass ratio rising from 1:1 to 4:1 owing
to the change of membrane porosity.