Recent progresses in polymeric hollow fiber membrane preparation, characterization and applications

Membrane separation using hollow fibers has become one of the emerging technologies which underwent a rapid growth during the past few decades. In this article, recent progresses (last 12 years) on polymeric hollow fiber membranes have been discussed. In particular, the following topics were identified as the recent trends in the hollow fiber research. Characterizations of membrane especially by atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been reported. New hollow fiber membranes for gas-separation have been developed. New polymers and techniques have been introduced in making high performance hollow fibers. Many PVDF based membranes have been developed. Orientation of polymer molecule during spinning was also investigated. However the mechanism of orientation is not fully investigated.