Enhanced pervaporation performance of SA-PFSA/ceramic hybrid membranes for ethanol dehydration

In this study, sodium alginate (SA)-perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA)/ceramic hybrid membranes were successfully prepared by dip-coating method. The contorted rigid structure of PFSA immobilized the loose structure of SA as well as improved the interconnectivity so as to demonstrated high separation factors. Meanwhile, the ion clusters formed by SO3H groups of PFSA possessed high affinity for water, resulting in high water flux. The viscosity of blend solution, structures and properties of the hybrid membranes were investigated by viscometry, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle meter and pervaporation dehydration. The effects of SA-PFSA ratio, PFSA content, feed composition and temperature on the separation performances of the hybrid membranes were investigated. The hybrid membrane fabricated by 2.0 wt% SA and 2.0 wt% PFSA demonstrated a high flux of 1155 g m−2 h−1 coupled with separation factor of 1149 by dehydration of 15 wt% water content ethanol-water mixture at 75 °C, reflecting superior pervaporation processing capacity.