Macropatterning of Microcrumpled Nanofiltration Membranes by Spacer Imprinting for Low-Scaling Desalination

Surface patterns provide a chemical-free approach to reduce fouling by mimicking nature and are yet limited by their complicated fabrication procedures. Here, we report readily scalable methods to create sub-micrometer- and millimeter-scale patterns on membrane surfaces for low-scaling desalination, with a focus on the antiscaling mechanism. Specifically, a robust polyethylene (PE) lithium battery separator prepared from melt casting and stretching has been used as the support for nanofiltration (NF), giving micrometer-scale crumples on the surface. Then, the PENF membrane is imprinted by a permeate spacer during tests, leading to millimeter-scale patterns. Two types of experiments are designed to give insights into the impact of surface structure on scaling in NF processes, including (1) comparisons of smooth surfaces and surfaces with nanometer-, micrometer-, and millimeter-scale features and (2) no-stirring dead-end tests and crossflow tests. It has been found that micrometer-scale patterns are resistant to scaling through both spatial and hydrodynamic effects, and millimeter-scale patterns are also effective in reducing scaling solely due to hydrodynamic effects. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation gives further explanations. In addition, organic and microbial fouling has been studied to give implications for future membrane engineering.