Polyacrylonitrile zirconia

Membranes UF membranes consist primarily of polymeric structures (polyethersulfone, regenerated cellulose, polysulfone, polyamide, polyacrylonitrile, or various fluoropolymers) formed by immersion casting on a web or as a composite on a MF membrane. Hydrophobic polymers are surface-modified to render them hydrophilic and thereby reduce fouling, reduce product losses, and increase flux [Cabasso in Vltrafiltration Membranes and Applications, Cooper (ed.). Plenum Press, New York, 1980]. Some inorganic UF membranes (alumina, glass, zirconia) are available but only find use in corrosive applications due to their high cost. 

Moafi et al. [143] studied the ability of titania versus zirconia to photocatalyze methylene blue and eosin yellow on polyacrylonitrile fibers. Ti02 particles ranging from 10-20 nm in size and Zr02 particles ranging from 20-40 nm in size were dispersed on the fiber surface. Photocatalytic activity of Ti02 was greater. 

Moafi, H.F., Shojaie, A.F. and Zanjanchi, M.A. (2010) The comparative study of photocatalytic self-deaning properties ofsynfhesized nanoscale titania and zirconia onto polyacrylonitrile fibers. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 118, 2062-2070. 

Porous membranes can be made of polymers (polysulfones, polyacrylonitrile, polypropylene, silicones, perfluoropolymers, polyimides, polyamides, etc.), ceramics (alumina, silica, titania, zirconia, zeolites, etc.) or microporous carbons. Dense organic membranes are commonly used for molecular-scale separations involving gas and vapor mixtures, whereas the mean pore sizes of porous membranes is chosen considering the size of the species to be separated. Current membrane processes include microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), gas and vapor separation (GS), and pervaporation (PV). Figure 1 indicates the types and sizes of species typically separated by these different separation processes. 

MF and UF membranes can be polymeric or inorganic. Membrane materials must be chemical resistant to both feed and cleaning solutions, mechanically and thermally stable, and characterized by high selectivity and permeability. Polysulfone (PS), polyethersulfone (PES), polyamide (PA), cellulose acetate (CA), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(vinylidene F ) (PVDF) and polypropylene (PP) are typical materials commonly used to cast the membrane. Alumina, zirconia and ceramic materials are usually used as inorganic materials. 

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