Journal of Membrane Science, Vol.452, 82-89, 2014
Tuning the performance of polypyrrole-based solvent-resistant composite nanofiltration membranes by optimizing polymerization conditions and incorporating graphene oxide
Solvent-resistant nanofiltration (SRNF) is considered an emerging process capable of replacing conventional energy-consuming methods of separating organic mixtures in diverse industrial fields. This study optimized the performance of polypyrrole (PPy) composite SRNF membranes by varying the polymerization conditions, including the types and concentrations of oxidants and pyrrole concentrations, forming integral selective layers on hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (PAN-H) support membranes with better separation properties. The PAN-H support was partially hydrolyzed as indicated by the FTIR spectrum and was compatible with the PPy selective layer, as demonstrated by the apparent lack of an interfacial phase observed in the cross-sections of the composite membranes. The PPy/PAN-H composite SRNF membrane fabricated by reacting 0.5 mol L-1 (NH4)(2)S2O8 and 5.0 wt% pyrrole exhibited a Rose Bengal (RB) rejection of 99.2% in isopropanol (IPA), with a relatively high solvent permeance. For the first time, graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated into the PPy/PAN-H composite SRNF membrane by dispersing GO into the pyrrole ethanol solution before polymerization. GO led to a significant enhancement in solvent permeance without compromising RB rejection. Compared with pure PPy/PAN-H composite SRNF membranes, the methanol (MeOH), ethanol (EtOH-1), and isopropanol (IPA) permeances of the GO-PPy/PAN-H membrane were approximately 945%, 635% and 302% higher, respectively. In a long term experiment, the GO-PPy/PAN-I-1 composite SRNF membrane exhibited a constant IPA permeance of 1.21 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1) and an RB rejection of approximately 99.0%. Therefore, the newly developed GO-PPy/PAN-H composite SRNF membranes in this study have significant potential for practical applications. Published by Elsevier B.V.