KR20140077001A - Method of Introducing Functionalities on Surface of Hollow Fiber Membrane By Electro-spraying When Preparing the Membrane - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for applying functionality to the surface of a hollow fiber membrane which is produced by using an electrospray process without causing problems such as the waste of functional materials or the lack of the content of functional materials which exist on the surface of the membrane. The method of the present invention does not have bad influences on the structure, function, and quality of the hollow fiber membrane. At the same time, the method of the present invention has an effect in minimizing the desorption of the functional materials.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hollow fiber membrane, and more particularly,

The present invention relates to a method of imparting functionality to a membrane surface during fabrication of hollow fiber membranes using electrostatic spraying.

The separation membrane used to separate gases or liquids or specific components such as ionic materials, in particular ionic materials, has a selectivity for the removal material by suitably combining dense structures or porous structures to selectively permeate and exclude certain components, Are designed to pass through low resistance. Recently, a membrane separation technique using a separation membrane having such a structure has been applied to processes for treating water and wastewater.

Polymer hollow fiber membranes have been widely used to control pore size and porosity. However, since the strength and water permeability are inversely related, it is difficult to improve the performance at the same time. To overcome this problem, many technologies have been developed to diversify materials and to differentiate manufacturing methods to satisfy both performance.

For example, in order to obtain a high permeation yield, a post-treatment of coating the surface with a functional material is added to adjust the pore size and the porosity. In order to prevent the contaminants from adsorbing and growing on the surface of the membrane, Coating post-treatment is also added.

Hollow fiber membrane filters are divided into partial filtration type and full volume filtration type according to their application method. However, since the total volume filtration method has advantages of less waste of water and simple filter structure, the membrane is easily contaminated over time, The separation efficiency is deteriorated. Especially, the microorganisms existing in the feed water are separated by the membrane and can not be discharged to the outside of the filter. . Therefore, in order to prevent the growth of microorganisms, it is required to perform biofouling treatment on the surface of the hollow fiber membrane to impart functionality.

Conventional techniques for imparting functionality to the hollow fiber membrane, such as increasing the strength of the hollow fiber membrane or imparting hydrophilicity to the surface of the membrane, include a method of immersing the hollow fiber membrane in a functional coating solution, And mixing. However, when the polymer membrane is dipped in the coating solution for the functional coating layer, waste of material due to unnecessary use of the material is caused, and blending of the functional material directly into the polymer solution causes the functional There is a disadvantage in that the content of the substance is remarkably deteriorated.

Numerous papers and patent documents are referenced and cited throughout this specification. The disclosures of the cited papers and patent documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety to better understand the state of the art to which the present invention pertains and the content of the present invention.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2004-0097831

The present inventors have made efforts to develop a method for imparting functionality to a hollow fiber membrane without the waste of materials and the content of functional materials present on the membrane surface of the prior art. As a result, It has been found out that when the solution containing the functional substance is electrostatically sprayed, it is possible to minimize the desorption phenomenon of the polymer layer of the hollow fiber membrane or the functional substance attached to the surface thereof, and to give excellent functionality to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane , Thereby completing the present invention.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of imparting functionality to the surface of a hollow fiber membrane by electrostatic atomization of a coating solution during a process of manufacturing a polymer material hollow fiber membrane.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, claims and drawings.

The present invention provides a method for imparting functionality to the surface of a hollow fiber membrane by electrostatic atomization of a coating solution during the production of a polymer material hollow fiber membrane.

The present inventors have found that when the coating solution is electrostatically sprayed during the production process of a polymeric hollow fiber membrane, the bonding between the polymer support layer and the fine droplet or the vaporization of the liquid droplet and the bonding of the remaining functional material become very tight, It has been found that functionalization can be imparted to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane while minimizing the desorption of the functional material.

Here, the electrostatic spraying is performed during the manufacturing process of the hollow fiber membrane, in the air gap between the spinneret and the phase separation tank, or is performed during the stretching process.

The air gap portion is an initial stage in which a polymer nucleus is formed and grown in a portion where the solvent is evaporated from the surface of the spinning stock solution to initiate the formation of the film structure. The spinning separation membrane is immersed in the coagulating solution after passing through this portion And solidified and phase-separated. Since the structure, performance, and quality of the finished hollow fiber membrane can be greatly changed according to the conditions such as the evaporation temperature of the solvent and the evaporation time, starting from the air gap portion, controlling the conditions of the air gap portion can be controlled It is extremely important to

In the present invention, when the electrostatic spraying is carried out in the air gap portion to adhere nano-sized fine droplets or functional materials, there is no adverse effect on the structure, performance, and quality of the separation membrane, The fine droplet or the functional material is closely adhered to and coagulated with the surface of the polymer support layer whose solidification is not completed, so that the desorption phenomenon of the functional material can be effectively suppressed.

When the electrostatic spraying process is performed during the stretching process of the separator, the three-dimensional structure including the pores of the flexible polymer support layer is dynamically changed by the stretching force, and a nano-droplet or functional material containing a functional material It is possible to effectively prevent the functional material from being detached from the polymeric support layer, as a result of being closely attached to the polymer while adhering to the structure surface or the surface layer.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the electrostatic spraying of the coating solution containing the functional material may be performed only in the air gap between the spinneret for ejecting the polymer resin and the phase separation tank, or may be performed only during the stretching process, It may be performed in both processes.

The hollow fiber membrane on which the functional material is coated may be a PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) resin, a PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) resin, a PES (polyethersulfone) resin, a polystyrene resin, a cellulose polymer resin, a PE Poly (ethylene terephthalate) resin, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) resin, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) resin, polyimide resin, polyimide resin, Resin, PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) resin, LDPE (low-density polyethylene) resin, HIPS (high impact polystyrene) resin, polyamide resin, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) resin, PE / ABS Butadiene styrene resin, PC / ABS resin, melamine formaldehyde resin, PLA resin, PMMA resin and UF resin. rea-formaldehyde resin, but is not limited thereto.

In the method of the present invention, the electrostatic spraying coating solution may contain carbon nanotubes, a hydrophilic polymer, an amphipathic polymer, an epoxy compound, Pt, Fe, Ni, TiO2, Pd, FeO, Ag, metal nanoparticles, chitosan, zeolite, Activated Carbon Fibers (ACFs), glycerol triacetate, citric acid ethyl ester, diethylene glycol, antibodies, amino acid ligands, lectins and sodium hypochlorite , And the like, but is not limited thereto.

The method of the present invention is characterized by imparting excellent functionality to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane while minimizing the phenomenon of desorption of the functional material from the polymer layer of the produced hollow fiber membrane. The functional properties include high strength, electrical properties, heat resistance, A heavy metal adsorption property, a toxic substance adsorption property, an antifouling property, or an antibacterial property, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, carbon nanotubes, metal nanoparticles and the like can be used to impart high strength properties to the hollow fiber membrane. In addition to mechanical properties, the carbon nanotubes have electrical characteristics and heat resistance, And can also be used to impart an adsorption effect together.

Glycerol triacetate, citric acid ethyl ester, diethylene glycol or a mixture thereof may be used to increase the permeability of the hollow fiber membrane and to improve the bubble point, and the use of a hollow fiber membrane Depending on the purpose, biological substances such as antibodies or fragments thereof, amino acid ligands, lectins, antibody ligands, anti-antibodies may be attached to the surface of the membrane.

In order to impart hydrophilicity to the surface of the membrane, a hydrophilic monomer such as acrylic acid or hydroxyethyl methacrylate may be used and then polymerized to form a hydrophilic surface treatment. Hydrophilic surface treatment such as hydroxyethyl cellulose or polyethylene glycol, The surface coating may also be performed using a polymer or amphipathic polymer.

To give a heavy metal adsorption property and a toxic substance adsorption property, a compound having zeolite or chelate forming ability can be used. For example, a method of spraying a compound containing an epoxy group on the surface of a hollow fiber membrane and then polymerizing the compound by radiation graft polymerization Can be used.

In order to ensure antifouling property and antimicrobial property, it is also possible to use a disinfectant such as sodium hypochlorite on the surface of the film or to use Pt / Fe, Ag, TiO2 or the like for the purpose of preventing biofouling of the film. As a photocatalyst having a characteristic of sterilizing microorganisms and decomposing organic matter, it is known that it can effectively inhibit biofouling.

Pd / Fe and Fe ⁰ have the effect of eliminating TCE (Trichlorethylene) material through dechlorination action. In addition, Pd / Fe and Pd / Fe ⁰ can be used as functional materials such as Ni / Fe, Pd / Fe, chitosan, Fe ⁰ or ACFs. Chitosan exhibits protein recovery and water-soluble antimicrobial effects in wastewater, and ACFs has the effect of adsorbing compounds such as benzene, toluene, xylene and ethylbenzene.

In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one nozzle for electrostatic spraying may be used, and a voltage at which a conjoined mode or a multi-jet mode is implemented may be applied to generate microcapsules from a coating solution containing a functional material .

At this time, in order to uniformly coat the surface of the separation membrane with the functional material that is atomized in one or more electrostatic spray nozzles, the electrostatic atomizing nozzle may be positioned in a crossed direction.

In the case of performing electrostatic spraying in the air gap, it is possible to directly ground the solution in the phase separation tank, and the fluorinated polymer mainly composed of PVDF and PTFE radiated from the coaxial spinning nozzle, the sulfone polymer such as PES and PS, The polymer solution for producing a water treatment membrane such as a polymer material can be grounded.

When the electrostatic spraying is performed in the drawing process, the position of the electrostatic atomizing nozzle and the ground electrode may be located on the opposite side of the hollow fiber membrane, and the micro droplet including the functional material, A certain distance may be maintained so as not to move to the electrode so that the path can be induced so that the fine droplet containing the functional substance moves to the surface of the separation membrane.

Conductive or nonconductive nozzles can be used to apply a high voltage to the electrostatic spray nozzle. In the case of nonconductive nozzles, the conductive pins can be placed inside the nonconductive nozzle and the high voltage applied to the conductive pins. In this case, the end of the conductive pin may be located inside the same non-conductive nozzle, or outside the non-conductive nozzle.

In addition, a focusing effect of an electric field may be used by using one or more floating electrodes in a conductive nozzle or a nonconductive nozzle having conductive pins inserted therein.

(+), (-), (-) and (-) voltages are applied to the surrounding electrostatic spray nozzle in case of high voltage. .

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the electrostatic spraying may be performed using at least two electrostatic spray nozzles. In this case, by applying different kinds of solvents or dispersants to the functional materials, two or more functionalities The material can be coated.

As described above, the use of two or more nozzles makes it possible to use different nozzles for individual solutions when two or more functional materials need to be applied, since the types of solvents that can be dispersed according to the functional materials are different. Give advantage.

In this case, for increasing the amount of the functional material coated on the surface, a method of increasing the flow rate of the ink supplied to the electrostatic nozzle may be used, or the degree of coating by arranging two or more electrostatic spray nozzles may be adjusted.

(+), (-), (-) cross voltage, (-) voltage and the like may be applied to the two or more nozzles depending on the stable conduc- tive mode and the multi-jet mode appropriate voltage.

The method of the present invention can impart excellent functionality to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane without involving the problem of waste of the functional material or the content of the functional material existing on the membrane surface. In addition, the method of the present invention has the effect of minimizing desorption of functional materials without adversely affecting the structure, performance and quality of the hollow fiber membrane.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a method of imparting functionality to a film surface by electrostatic atomizing a functional substance in an air gap between a spinning nozzle and an image separation tank.
Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a method of imparting functionality to the surface of a film by electrostatic spraying of a functional material in a stretching process.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a method of imparting functionality to a film surface using an existing dipping method.
Figure 4 illustrates a method of imparting two or more functionalities using two or more electrostatic spray nozzles. If two or more functional materials need to be applied, the use of two or more nozzles gives the advantage of different nozzles for individual solutions, since the type of solvent that can be dispersed varies depending on the material.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It will be self-evident.

Example

< Example  1>

Manufacture of hollow fiber membranes

35% by weight of polyvinylidene fluoride resin (PVDF, Solleys solef 6010), 55% by weight of? -Butylolactone (GBL) and 10% by weight of diethylene glycol (DEG) After stirring for 12 hours, the mixture was transferred to a stabilizer in the same state and stabilized for 12 hours to prepare a spinning composition. On the other hand, 100 mg of carbon nanotubes (Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube, TCI, JAPAN) was dissolved in dimethylformamide and dichlorobenzene in a one-to-one ratio to provide excellent mechanical, electrical and thermal properties of hollow fiber membranes and functionalization of heavy metal adsorption. The mixture was uniformly dispersed in 1 liter of the mixed organic solvent to prepare a coating solution separately.

The prepared spinning composition was discharged through a coaxial spinning nozzle as a phase separation tank (GBL 80% by weight, water 20% by weight), and the prepared coating solution was sprayed onto the air gap between the coaxial spinning nozzle and the phase separation tank The pure water was used as a non - solvent in the phase separation tank, and the internal rate of the internal coagulation bath was 4.5 ml / min and the temperature was 25 ℃. In order to transfer the spinning solution, the discharge pressure was set to 5 kgf / cm ² or more in the reactor, the production solution transfer pump was maintained at 30 rpm, and the air gap interval between the nozzle and the non- And fixed at 10 cm.

The electrostatic spraying in the air gap is performed by applying a high voltage of 2 to 5 kV to the CNT coating solution in a cone-jet manner to atomize the solution, And adhered to the surface of the polymer solution grounded by fine droplets through a nozzle.

As described above, immediately after the coating liquid was electrostatically sprayed onto the air gap, the hollow fiber membrane was immersed in the non-solvent contained in the phase separation tank.

Property measurement

(1) Pure permeate flow measurement

The hollow fiber membrane thus prepared was manufactured by self-fabricating a module having a certain length and number of strands, and pure water was pressurized by a pressure pump at room temperature under a pressure of 1 kgf / cm 2 using a TMP (Trans Membrane Pressure) .

(2) Measurement of average pore size

The prepared hollow fiber membranes were measured using a capillary flow porometer.

(3) Tensile strength measurement

The tensile strength of the prepared hollow fiber membranes was measured using a micro - forcing tester.

(4) Measurement of the pressure at which the functional material is desorbed

In order to observe the desorption phenomenon of functional materials containing CNT by visually confirming the desorption of functional materials containing CNTs, more specifically, by scanning electron microscopy, the pressure at which the functional materials are desorbed Respectively.

< Example  2>

A spinning solution and a coating solution were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and the spinning composition prepared above was discharged through a coaxial spinning nozzle into a phase separation tank (GBL 80% by weight, water 20% by weight). The prepared coating solution was electrostatically sprayed in the course of stretching the discharged separation membrane at a temperature of 80 to 90 DEG C by using a wet-type stretching machine which was driven by a rotary roll at the front and rear ends. Specifically, the coating solution was spray- A high voltage is applied in a mode (cone-jet) to atomize the coating solution so that the positions of the electrostatic spray nozzle and the ground electrode are located on the opposite side of the hollow fiber membrane, and four nozzles So that fine droplets or vaporized CNTs containing CNTs were allowed to adhere during the stretching process.

The properties of the hollow fiber membrane prepared by the above method were measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

< Example  3>

The spinning solution and the coating solution were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, the spinning composition was discharged, and the coating solution prepared above was electrostatically sprayed onto the air gap between the coaxial spinning nozzle and the phase separation tank. So that surface coating by electrostatic spraying in an air gap was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1. [ In the process of stretching the discharged separation membrane having the fine coating liquid droplets attached thereto in the air gap using a wet stretch stretcher, the coating solution prepared above was electrostatically sprayed in the same manner as in Example 2, and the fine coating liquid droplets were stretched To allow additional attachment.

The properties of the hollow fiber membrane prepared by the above method were measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

< Comparative Example  1>

A spinning solution and a coating solution were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and the spinning composition prepared above was discharged through a coaxial spinning nozzle and immersed in a phase separation tank (GBL 80 wt%, water 20 wt%) to form a hollow fiber membrane Respectively. The prepared coating solution was sprayed onto the surface of the hollow fiber membrane by the spraying method to adhere the fine droplets.

The properties of the hollow fiber membrane prepared by the above method were measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

< Comparative Example  2>

A spinning solution and a coating solution were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and the spinning composition prepared above was discharged through a coaxial spinning nozzle and immersed in a phase separation tank (GBL 80% by weight, water 20% by weight). The discharged separation membrane was maintained at 80 to 90 ° C and stretched by a wet heat stretching machine which was carried out by a rotary roll at the front and rear ends to produce a hollow fiber membrane. The prepared coating liquid was sprayed on the surface of the drawn hollow fiber membrane by a spraying method to adhere fine droplets.

The properties of the hollow fiber membrane prepared by the above method were measured in the same manner as in Example 1.

The physical properties of the thus measured Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are shown in Table 1 below.

Permeate (L / m2hr, 1 bar) Pore size
(um) The tensile strength
(Mpa) Desorption pressure of functional material
(bar) Example 1 680 0.07 8 No detachment Example 2 765 0.06 10 No detachment Example 3 720 0.07 7 No detachment Comparative Example 1 675 0.06 7 7 Comparative Example 2 735 0.07 11 8

As a result of the experiment, in the case of Examples 1 and 2, no desorption phenomenon of the functional material was observed without adversely affecting the tensile strength and permeation yield of the prepared membrane. This is because the coating solution is injected into the air gap between the injection nozzle and the phase separation tank and / or injected during the stretching process, so that the bonding between the polymer support layer and the functional material contained in the fine droplets becomes very tight.

In the case of Comparative Example 1 in which a coating liquid droplet was injected onto the surface where the solidification of the polymer support layer had already been completed through the phase separation tank or in Comparative Example 2 in which the coating liquid droplet was injected after the completion of the drawing process, The desorption phenomenon was observed.

Claims (10)

A method for imparting functionality to the surface of a hollow fiber membrane by electrostatic atomization of a coating solution during the production of a polymeric hollow fiber membrane,
Wherein the electrostatic spraying is performed in an air gap between the spinneret and the phase separator in the step of discharging the hollow fiber membrane through the spinneret to the phase separator.
A method for imparting functionality to the surface of a hollow fiber membrane by electrostatic atomization of a coating solution during the production of a polymeric hollow fiber membrane,
Wherein the electrostatic spraying is performed during the drawing process of the hollow fiber membrane.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said electrostatic spraying is carried out in an air gap between the spinneret and the phase separator and during the drawing process of the hollow fiber membrane.
The hollow fiber membrane according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polymer material of the hollow fiber membrane is selected from the group consisting of PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) resin, PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) resin, PES (polyethersulfone) resin, polystyrene resin, Based resin, poly (ethylene terephthalate) based resin, HDPE (high-density polyethylene) based resin, poly (ethylene terephthalate) based resin, Resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, PVDC (polyvinylidene chloride) resin, LDPE (low-density polyethylene) resin, HIPS (high impact polystyrene) resin, polyamide resin, ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) (PE) / ABS (Polyethylene / Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) resin, PC / ABS (Polycarbonate / Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) resin, MF (Melamine formaldehyde) resin, PLA (Polylactic acid) ) Based resin and a UF (Urea-formaldehyde) based resin.
The coating solution according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coating solution is at least one selected from the group consisting of a carbon nanotube, a hydrophilic polymer, an amphipathic polymer, an epoxy compound, Pt, Fe, Ni, TiO 2, Pd, Fe ⁰ , Ag, metal nanoparticles, At least one selected from the group consisting of zeolite, Activated Carbon Fibers (ACFs), glycerol triacetate, citric acid ethyl ester, diethylene glycol, antibodies, amino acid ligands, lectins and sodium hypochlorite Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt; of: &lt; / RTI &gt;
The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the method comprises imparting one or more functionalities selected from the group consisting of high strength, electrical properties, heat resistance, hydrophilicity, heavy metal adsorption, toxic material adsorption, antifouling and antimicrobial properties to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane . &Lt; / RTI &gt;
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the method provides functionality to the surface of the hollow fiber membrane while minimizing the desorption of the functional material from the polymer layer of the hollow fiber membrane produced.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the electrostatic spray is performed by applying a high voltage of 1 to 30,000 volts to the coating solution in a conjoined or a melt jet mode.
3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the electrostatic spraying is carried out using at least two electrostatic spray nozzles.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the electrostatic spray is performed by spraying at least two kinds of coating solutions onto the surface of the hollow fiber membrane using the at least two electrostatic spray nozzles.

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