Preparation and characterization of fiber braided tube reinforced polyethylene hollow fiber membranes via thermally induced phase separation

In wastewater treatment applications, mechanical strength of the membranes often cannot meet practical requirements due to the disturbance of aeration flow or the damage of high-pressure cleaning. In this work, fiber braided tube reinforced polyethylene (BR PE) hollow fiber membranes with desirable filtration performance and high tensile strength were successfully prepared via fiber braided tube reinforcement (BR) and thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) methods. Especially, the effect of heat treatment temperature on structure and properties of the membranes was discussed. The results exhibited that tensile strength and interfacial bonding state between the surface separation layer and the fiber braided tube reinforcement were improved with the increase of heat treatment temperature. While the heat treatment temperature was 130 degrees C, BR PE hollow fiber membranes exhibited favorable interfacial bonding state, and tensile strength was up to 204.4 MPa, which was significantly higher than that of previously reported PE membranes. Moreover, the increase of heat treatment temperature could decrease the membrane pore size and improve filtration performance. Comprehensive consideration, the optimal heat treatment temperature of BR PE hollow fiber membranes was 110 degrees C. This work can provide scientific and practical basis for large-scale development of BR hollow fiber membranes with good comprehensive performance.