Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers
Clean water supply is an essential element for the entire sustainable human society, and the economic and technology development. Membrane filtration for water and wastewater treatments is the premier choice due to its high energy efficiency and effectiveness, where the separation is performed by pa...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Molecules |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3331 |
| _version_ | 1797531711886589952 |
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| author | Masashi Kotobuki Qilin Gu Lei Zhang John Wang |
| author_facet | Masashi Kotobuki Qilin Gu Lei Zhang John Wang |
| author_sort | Masashi Kotobuki |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Clean water supply is an essential element for the entire sustainable human society, and the economic and technology development. Membrane filtration for water and wastewater treatments is the premier choice due to its high energy efficiency and effectiveness, where the separation is performed by passing water molecules through purposely tuned pores of membranes selectively without phase change and additional chemicals. Ceramics and polymers are two main candidate materials for membranes, where the majority has been made of polymeric materials, due to the low cost, easy processing, and tunability in pore configurations. In contrast, ceramic membranes have much better performance, extra-long service life, mechanical robustness, and high thermal and chemical stabilities, and they have also been applied in gas, petrochemical, food-beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, where most of polymeric membranes cannot perform properly. However, one of the main drawbacks of ceramic membranes is the high manufacturing cost, which is about three to five times higher than that of common polymeric types. To fill the large gap between the competing ceramic and polymeric membranes, one apparent solution is to develop a ceramic-polymer composite type. Indeed, the properly engineered ceramic-polymer composite membranes are able to integrate the advantages of both ceramic and polymeric materials together, providing improvement in membrane performance for efficient separation, raised life span and additional functionalities. In this overview, we first thoroughly examine three types of ceramic-polymer composite membranes, (i) ceramics in polymer membranes (nanocomposite membranes), (ii) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes, and (iii) ceramic-supported polymer membranes. In the past decade, great progress has been made in improving the compatibility between ceramics and polymers, while the synergy between them has been among the main pursuits, especially in the development of the high performing nanocomposite membranes for water and wastewater treatment at lowered manufacturing cost. By looking into strategies to improve the compatibility among ceramic and polymeric components, we will conclude with briefing on the perspectives and challenges for the future development of the composite membranes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:47:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34edb8d9dfb14d8b96f08a4170f0fa73 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:47:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj.art-34edb8d9dfb14d8b96f08a4170f0fa732023-11-21T22:26:44ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492021-06-012611333110.3390/molecules26113331Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and PolymersMasashi Kotobuki0Qilin Gu1Lei Zhang2John Wang3Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575, SingaporeDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575, SingaporeDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575, SingaporeDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, 9 Engineering Drive 1, Singapore 117575, SingaporeClean water supply is an essential element for the entire sustainable human society, and the economic and technology development. Membrane filtration for water and wastewater treatments is the premier choice due to its high energy efficiency and effectiveness, where the separation is performed by passing water molecules through purposely tuned pores of membranes selectively without phase change and additional chemicals. Ceramics and polymers are two main candidate materials for membranes, where the majority has been made of polymeric materials, due to the low cost, easy processing, and tunability in pore configurations. In contrast, ceramic membranes have much better performance, extra-long service life, mechanical robustness, and high thermal and chemical stabilities, and they have also been applied in gas, petrochemical, food-beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, where most of polymeric membranes cannot perform properly. However, one of the main drawbacks of ceramic membranes is the high manufacturing cost, which is about three to five times higher than that of common polymeric types. To fill the large gap between the competing ceramic and polymeric membranes, one apparent solution is to develop a ceramic-polymer composite type. Indeed, the properly engineered ceramic-polymer composite membranes are able to integrate the advantages of both ceramic and polymeric materials together, providing improvement in membrane performance for efficient separation, raised life span and additional functionalities. In this overview, we first thoroughly examine three types of ceramic-polymer composite membranes, (i) ceramics in polymer membranes (nanocomposite membranes), (ii) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes, and (iii) ceramic-supported polymer membranes. In the past decade, great progress has been made in improving the compatibility between ceramics and polymers, while the synergy between them has been among the main pursuits, especially in the development of the high performing nanocomposite membranes for water and wastewater treatment at lowered manufacturing cost. By looking into strategies to improve the compatibility among ceramic and polymeric components, we will conclude with briefing on the perspectives and challenges for the future development of the composite membranes.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3331composite membranewastewater treatmentpolymeric membraneceramic membranenanocomposite |
| spellingShingle | Masashi Kotobuki Qilin Gu Lei Zhang John Wang Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers Molecules composite membrane wastewater treatment polymeric membrane ceramic membrane nanocomposite |
| title | Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers |
| title_full | Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers |
| title_fullStr | Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers |
| title_short | Ceramic-Polymer Composite Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment: Bridging the Big Gap between Ceramics and Polymers |
| title_sort | ceramic polymer composite membranes for water and wastewater treatment bridging the big gap between ceramics and polymers |
| topic | composite membrane wastewater treatment polymeric membrane ceramic membrane nanocomposite |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/26/11/3331 |
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