Electro-spun Membranes for Separation Applications

In view of versatility and efficiency in operation, membrane separation technology is considered as the most promising technique for successfully separating azeotropes and close boiling liquids, isomers, oil-contaminated water, gases, and ions. The commercial feasibility of this technology largely depends on the membrane and its properties. Thus, membranes are the key elements of membrane separation technology. For the development of membranes, various techniques have been employed, including sol–gel, phase inversion, spin coating, and electrospinning. Electrospinning has recently gained great attention in view of its advantages for separation applications over the traditional membranes owing to the unique properties, including high surface area and porosity, mechanical strength, thermal stability, and controllable surface morphologies. Activity in recent years has focused much attention on the development of membranes through electrospinning techniques. Researchers have focused on the development of electrospun membranes modified through surface modification and additive inclusion, which have shown enhanced properties compared to traditional membranes. From this perspective, this chapter describes the role of the electrospinning technique in membrane separation technology, controlling parameters for the preparation of electrospun membranes, and then summarizes the state-of-the-art electrospun membranes in separation applications, such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, gas separation, forward osmosis, reverse osmosis, pervaporation, and fuel cells. At the end, future perspectives on the potential applications of electrospun nanofibrous membranes in separation applications are discussed. Overall, this chapter provides a comprehensive explanation of the advantages of electrospun nanofibrous membranes over conventional membranes for different separation processes.