New HYFLON AD composite membranes and AFM characterization

HYFLON AD membranes are very interesting devices in water treatment and for their impermeability to water and gases and vapour transpirability [ 1 ]. In these kinds of processes, such in many large-scale processes, some membrane parameters are particularly important, among them: pore distribution, membrane morphology and their fouling tendency. The aim of the present work is to describe an AFM study of three different composite HYFLON AD 60X membranes characterising three key properties affecting performance: pore size distribution, surface morphology and particle adhesion. The membranes have been imaged at high resolution in NaC1 solution, allowing quantification of surface roughness and pore size distribution. Further, the adhesion of polystyrene and silica particles to the membranes was measured in NaC1 solution at three different concentrations to quantify their likely fouling tendencies.