Solution blown nanofibrous membrane for microfiltration

Nanofibrous membranes have been paid attention in microfiltration. Solution blowing process is a new nanofiber fabricating method with high productivity. In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous mat was successfully solution blown using a multiorifices die. The fibers were mostly 60–280 nm in diameter and three-dimensional curly which resulted in a loose construction with high porosity of 95.8%. The nanofibrous mat was further hot-pressed to increase its integrality. The structure and microfiltration performance was evaluated. The results showed the crystallinity of the membranes increased, the porosity and pore size decreased after hot-pressing treatment. The hot-pressed membranes showed high retention ratio against microparticles and high pure water flux which will help the solution blown membrane find application in high flux microfiltration.

► A PVDF nanofibrous mat was solution blown using a multiorifices die.
► The fibers are 60–280 nm in diameter and 3D curly with a loose construction in bulk.
► The nanofibrous mat was hot-pressed to enhance crystallinity and decrease pore sizes.
► The hot-pressed membranes possess high retention ratio and high pure water flux.