Composite membrane, method of manufacturing the same, separation membrane including the composite membrane, and water treatment device using the separation membrane

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533264-B2
Application number	US-201314018976-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2013
Priority date	Dec 6, 2012
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

An organic/inorganic composite membrane may include hydrophilic inorganic particles dispersed in an organic polymer matrix having finger-like pores. The hydrophilic inorganic particles may be present at a higher concentration near one surface of the membrane having a higher density than the other surface of the membrane having a lower density.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An organic/inorganic composite membrane comprising:
an organic polymer matrix defining finger-like pores therein, the organic polymer matrix having a first surface on a side of the membrane and an opposing second surface on a second side of the membrane, the first surface being denser than the opposing second surface;
hydrophilic inorganic particles dispersed in the organic polymer matrix, the first surface having a higher concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than the opposing second surface, the hydrophilic inorganic particles formed from a hydrophilic inorganic particle precursor provided in a polymer solution for forming the organic polymer matrix,
wherein a first under-region of the first surface has more than 1 times a concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than a second under-region of the opposing second surface, the first under-region of the first surface extending to a first depth of 0.0005% to about 0.05% of an overall thickness of the organic/inorganic composite membrane, the second under-region of the opposing second surface extending to a second depth of 0.0005% to about 0.05% of the overall thickness of the organic/inorganic composite membrane.

2. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first under-region of the first surface has at least about 2 times a concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than the second under-region of the opposing second surface.

3. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first under-region of the first surface has at least about 2.5 times a concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than the second under-region of the opposing second surface.

4. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the first under-region of the first surface has at least about 3 times a concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than the second under-region of the opposing second surface.

5. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the organic polymer matrix includes a polymer selected from polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone, polyetherethersulfone, polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene ether, polydiphenylphenylene ether, polyvinylene cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, and polyphenylene sulfide.

6. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic inorganic particles include an oxide or hydroxide of Ti, Al, Zr, Si, Sn, B, or Ce.

7. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic inorganic particles have an average particle size of about 20 nm or less.

8. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic inorganic particles have an average particle size of about 15 nm or less.

9. The organic/inorganic composite membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic inorganic particles are present in an amount of about 0.1 wt % to about 20.0 wt % based on a total weight of the organic/inorganic composite membrane.

10. A separation membrane for water treatment comprising the organic/inorganic composite membrane according to claim 1 .

11. The separation membrane of claim 10 , further comprising:
an active layer on the first surface of the organic/inorganic composite membrane, the active layer formed of a polymer matrix configured to permeate water but not a subject material to be separated.

12. The separation membrane of claim 11 , wherein the polymer matrix includes polyamide, polyethylene, polyester, polyisobutylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl chloride, cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, or cellulose triacetate.

13. The separation membrane of claim 11 , wherein the active layer is interface-polymerized on the first surface of the organic/inorganic composite membrane.

14. A water treatment device comprising the separation membrane according to claim 10 .

15. The water treatment device of claim 14 , wherein the water treatment device is a forward osmosis water treatment device or a reverse osmosis water treatment device.

16. A method of manufacturing an organic/inorganic composite membrane, comprising:
dissolving an organic polymer and a hydrophilic inorganic particle precursor in an organic solvent to form a resultant solution;
casting the resultant solution on a supporter to form a cast structure; and
dipping the cast structure in water to initiate a non-solvent phase inversion to form hydrophilic inorganic particles dispersed in an organic polymer matrix, a first surface of the organic polymer matrix having a higher concentration of the hydrophilic inorganic particles than an opposing second surface.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dissolving includes the hydrophilic inorganic particle precursor being an alkoxide, ester, acetylacetonate, halide, or nitride of a Ti, Al, Zr, Si, Sn, B, or Ce.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dissolving includes the organic polymer being polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone, polyetherethersulfone, polyetherketone, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene ether, polydiphenylphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, cellulose acetate, cellulose diacetate, or cellulose triacetate.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the dissolving includes the organic solvent being at least one of acetone; acids selected from acetic acid and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA); alcohols selected from methanol, isopropanol, 1-methoxy-2-propanol, ethanol, and terpineol; oxygen-containing cyclic compounds selected from tetrahydrofuran (THF), 1,4-dioxane, and sulfolane; aromatic compounds including a heteroatom of N, O, or S selected from pyridine and the like; halogen compounds selected from chloroform and methylene chloride; aprotic polar compounds selected from dimethyl formamide (DMF), dimethyl acetamide (DMAC), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP); and acetates selected from 2-butoxyethylacetate and 2(2-butoxyethoxy)ethylacetate.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kong Hye Young
• Kwon Bok Soon
• Han Sung Soo
• Han Jung Im

Classifications

• B01D67/0011

  Casting solutions therefor · CPC title

• B01D67/0079

  Manufacture of membranes comprising organic and inorganic components · CPC title

• B01D61/002

  Forward osmosis or direct osmosis · CPC title

• B01D61/025

  Reverse osmosis; Hyperfiltration · CPC title

• B01D69/148 Primary

  Organic/inorganic mixed matrix membranes · CPC title