Developing PES membrane by modified Co3O4-OA nanoparticles for direct contact membrane distillation process

Modified hydrophobic cobalt oxide (Co3O4) nanoparticles were used to develop polyethersulfone (PES) nanocomposite membranes via phase inversion technique for direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD). Co3O4 nanoparticles were treated by oleic acid (OA) to decrease the surface energy and agglomeration. The effect of incorporating different concentrations of Co3O4-OA nanoparticles (0-4 wt%) into the PES dope solution was studied. The prepared membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), water contact angle and porosity and pore size measurements. Due to the increase in pore size, the membrane performance improved, and the vapour flux increased upon the incorporation of 4 wt% of nanoparticles. The salt rejection was greater than 99.8% when a 3.5 g/L sodium chloride. As a result, the Co3O4-OA modified PES membrane could provide an opportunity for desalination by DCMD process with good perm selectivity. Copyright (C) 2017 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley& Sons, Ltd.