Study on structure and vacuum membrane distillation performance of PVDF membranes: II. Influence of molecular weight

Membranes were prepared from three poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) of different molecular weights by the phase inversion process. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, gas permeation tests, contact angle (CA) and liquid entry pressure of water (LEPw) measurements, and further subjected to the test of flux for vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) in a scenario that is applicable for cooling processes. The results showed that the increase in PVDF molecular weight increased the viscosity and thermodynamic instability of the casting solution significantly. Regarding characterization and performance testing, the membrane prepared from the intermediate molecular weight of Kynar (R) MG 15 polymer showed the highest VMD flux (325 g/m(2) h) at the feed temperature of 27 degrees C and the lowest LEPw (622 kPa) due to the largest pore size (49.8 nm) observed among all the tested membranes. The highest flux of this particular membrane seems also due to the thinnest finger-like and sponge-like layer. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.