Advanced Fiber Materials, Volume. 6, Issue 1, 00335(2024)
Playing with Chlorine-Based Post-modification Strategies for Manufacturing Silica Nanofibrous Membranes Acting as Stable Hydrophobic Separation Barriers
Highly stable hydrophobic silica-based membranes were successfully fabricated through chemical post-modification of directly electrospun silica nanofibrous membranes. Five different Si-alkoxy chlorides were tried as reagents at room temperature, allowing for an easy two-step production process. Trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) was determined as to be the most suitable modifier, for this purpose. The modified membrane exhibits long-term hydrophobicity even under high humidity and water submersion, maintaining this property after exposure to elevated temperatures and acidic conditions, surpassing the unmodified membrane. The separation effectiveness for immiscible water/solvent solutions was proven, followed by an investigation into the relation between the surface tension of some miscible water/solvent solutions and the resulting wetting behavior of the TMCS-modified membrane, to utilize the membrane as a process intensification tool, specifically as a solvent gate.
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Minglun Li, Eva Loccufier, Jozefien Geltmeyer, Dagmar R. D’hooge, Klaartje Buysser, Karen Clerck. Playing with Chlorine-Based Post-modification Strategies for Manufacturing Silica Nanofibrous Membranes Acting as Stable Hydrophobic Separation Barriers[J]. Advanced Fiber Materials, 2024, 6(1): 00335
Category: Research Articles
Received: Jun. 13, 2024
Accepted: Sep. 13, 2023
Published Online: Jul. 4, 2024
The Author Email: Clerck Karen (karen.declerck@ugent.be)