Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane <italic style="font-style: italic">via</italic> One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation

Tian-Tian Li; Zheng Xu; Yu-Jing Zhang; Ming-Han Su; Shun-Da Liu; Shao-Fei Zhang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane via One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-12-25

- Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane via One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-11(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Hebei Key Laboratory of Flexible Functional Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Shijiazhuang 050018, China
- Author bio：
  
  litiantian669@163.com (T.T.L.)
  zhangshaofei988403@163.com (S.F.Z.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2
  CLC：
- Received：02 September 2025，
  
  Accepted：20 October 2025，
  
  Published Online：25 December 2025，
  
  Published：15 January 2026
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Li, T. T.; Xu, Z.; Zhang, Y. J.; Su, M. H.; Liu, S. D.; Zhang, S. F. Fabrication of superhydrophobic membrane via one-step spraying strategy utilizing organosilicon chemistry and its performance in membrane distillation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2

Tian-Tian Li, Zheng Xu, Yu-Jing Zhang, et al. Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane via One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11.
Li, T. T.; Xu, Z.; Zhang, Y. J.; Su, M. H.; Liu, S. D.; Zhang, S. F. Fabrication of superhydrophobic membrane via one-step spraying strategy utilizing organosilicon chemistry and its performance in membrane distillation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2 DOI：

Tian-Tian Li, Zheng Xu, Yu-Jing Zhang, et al. Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane via One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2.

摘要

Abstract

Membrane distillation (MD) is an advanced membrane separation process that employs hydrophobic microporous membranes to separate non-volatile solutes from the feed solution

driven by vapor pressure gradients generated through thermal difference. This technology offers strong desalination capabilities and efficiently harnesses low-grade thermal energy sources

including geothermal and waste heat

making it a cost-effective solution for freshwater scarcity. Nevertheless

hydrophobic membranes are prone to contamination by surfactants

inorganic salts

and other substances in feed solutions. To address this

low-sur

face-energy composite nano-inorganic materials composed of carbon nanotubes and silica were modified and synthesized

via

organosilicon chemistry. A superhydrophobic surface exhibiting a water contact angle of 157.96

was successfully fabricated using above nano-materials on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane surface with micro-nano structures

via

a one-step spray-coating method. Compared to unmodified PVDF membrane

the superhydrophobic membrane demonstrated superior resistance to common scaling agents such as CaCl

Mg(OH)

CaCO

and CaSO

while maintaining stable permeate flux (13.4 kg·m

–2

·h

–1

) during MD tests. Additionally

the modified membrane exhibited enhanced wetting resistance when treating feed solutions containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)

significantly extending the operational lifespan of the membrane. Due to its outstanding performance

this superhydrophobic membrane is expected to promote the practical application of MD technology in the treatment of complex wastewater and efficient seawater desalination.

关键词

Keywords

references

Kalla, S.; Piash, K. S.; Sanyal, O. Anti-fouling and anti-wetting membranes for membrane distillation. J. Water Process Eng. 2022 , 46 , 102634..

Hosseinzadeh, A.; Zhou, J. L.; Altaee, A.; Baziar, M.; Li, D. Effective modelling of hydrogen and energy recovery in microbial electrolysis cell by artificial neural network and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system. Bioresour. Technol. 2020 , 316 , 123967..

Zhao, S.; Feron, P. H.; Chen, X.; Boztepe, I.; Zhang, J.; Mirza, N. R.; Kong, L. Gas flow enhanced mass transfer in vacuum membrane distillation. Desalination 2023 , 552 , 116434..

Chamani, H.; Woloszyn, J.; Matsuura, T.; Rana, D.; Lan, C. Pore wetting in membrane distillation: A comprehensive review. Prog. Mater. Sci. 2021 , 122 , 100843..

Zhao, S.; Feron, P. H.; Cao, C.; Wardhaugh, L.; Yan, S.; Gray, S. Membrane evaporation of amine solution for energy saving in post-combustion carbon capture: wet ting and condensation. Sep. Purif. Technol. 2015 , 146 , 60−67..

Henderyckx, Y. Diffusion doublet research. Desalination 1967 , 3 , 237−242..

Tijing, L. D.; Woo, Y. C.; Choi, J. S.; Lee, S.; Kim, S. H.; Shon, H. K. Fouling and its control in membrane distillation—a review. J. Membr. Sci. 2015 , 475 , 215−244..

Shaffer, D. L.; Tousley, M. E.; Elimelech, M. Influence of polyamide membrane surface chemistry on gypsum scaling behavior. J. Membr. Sci. 2017 , 525 , 249−256..

Tong,T.; Zhao, S.; Boo, C.; Hashmi, S. M.; Elimelech, M. Relating silica scaling in reverse osmosis to membrane surface properties. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017 , 51 , 4396−4406..

Liu, K.; Tian, Y.; Jiang, L. Bio-inspired superoleophobic and smart materials: design, fabrication, and application. Prog. Mater. Sci. 2013 , 58 , 503−564..

Li, Q.; Guo, Z. A highly fluorinated SiO 2 particle assembled, durable superhydrophobic and superoleophobic coating for both hard and soft materials. Nanoscale 2019 , 11 , 18338−18346..

Li, X.; Qing, W.; Wu, Y.; Shao, S.; Peng, L. E.; Yang, Y.; Wang, P.; Liu, F.; Tang, C. Y. Omniphobic nanofibrous membrane with pine-needle-like hierarchical nanostructures: toward enhanced performance for membrane distillation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019 , 11 , 47963−47971..

Deka, B. J.; Guo, J.; An, A. K. Robust dual-layered omniphobic electrospun membrane with anti-wetting and anti-scaling functionalised for membrane distillation application. J. Membr. Sci. 2021 , 624 , 119089..

Gu, J.; Xiao, P.; Huang, Y.; Zhang, J.; Chen, T. Controlled functionalization of carbon nanotubes as superhydrophobic material for adjustable oil/water separation. J. Mater. Chem. A 2015 , 3 , 4124−4128..

Anvari, A.; Kekre, K. M.; Yancheshme, A. A.; Yao, Y.; Ronen, A. Membrane distillation of high salinity water by induction heated thermally conducting membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 2019 , 589 , 117253..

Gu, J.; Xiao, P.; Chen, J.; Liu, F.; Huang, Y.; Li, G.; Zhang, J.; Chen, T. Robust preparation of superhydrophobic polymer/carbon nanotube hybrid membranes for highly effective removal of oils and separation of water-in-oil emulsions. J. Mater. Chem. A 2014 , 2 , 15268−15272..

Dumée, L.; Germain, V.; Sears, K.; Schütz, J.; Finn, N.; Duke, M.; Cerneaux, S.; Cornu, D.; Gray, S. Enhanced durability and hydrophobicity of carbon nanotube bucky paper membranes in membrane distillation. J. Membr. Sci. 2011 , 376 , 241−246..

Zhu, Z.; Kang, S.; Chen, H.; Zhao, Q.; Huo, Z.; Li, P.; Kang, J.; Yin, Y. Construction of superhydrophobic alkyl siloxane-modified carbon nanotubes/epoxy coating. Diamond Relat. Mater. 2022 , 129 , 109351..

Zhu, Y.; Li, H.; Huang, W.; Lai, X.; Zeng, X. Facile fabrication of superhydrophobic wood aerogel by vapor deposition method for oil-water separation. Surf. Interfaces 2023 , 37 , 102746..

Ren, L. F.; Xia, F.; Shao, J.; Zhang, X.; Li, J. Experimental investigation of the effect of electrospinning parameters on properties of superhydrophobic PDMS/PM MA membrane and its application in membrane distillation. Desalination 2017 , 404 , 155−166..

Wang, J. l.; Ren, K. f.; Chang, H.; Zhang, S. m.; Jin, L. j.; Ji, J. Facile fabrication of robust superhydrophobic multilayered film based on bioinspired poly(dopamine)-modified carbon nanotubes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2014 , 16 , 2936−2943..

Ioannou, D.; Shah, P.; Ellinas, K.; Kappl, M.; Sapalidis, A.; Butt, H.-J. r.; Gogolides, E. Antifouling Plasma-Treated Membranes with Stable Superhydrophobic Properties for Membrane Distillation. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2023 , 5 , 9785−9795..

Yan, K.-K.; Jiao, L.; Lin, S.; Ji, X.; Lu, Y.; Zhang, L. Superhydrophobic electrospun nanofiber membrane coated by carbon nanotubes network for membrane distillation. Desalination 2018 , 437 , 26−33..

Ogihara, H.; Xie, J.; Saji, T. Spraying carbon nanotube dispersions to prepare superhydrophobic films. J. Mater. Sci. 2014 , 49 , 3183−3188..

Zhang, W.; Wang, Z.; Li, B. Omniphobic membrane with nest-like re-ent rant structure via electrospraying strategy for robust membrane distillation. J. Membr. Sci. 2021 , 640 , 119824..

Li, H.; Feng, H.; Li, M.; Zhang, X. Engineering a covalently constructed superomniphobic membrane for robust membrane distillation. J. Membr. Sci. 2022 , 644 , 120124..

Shi, D.; Gong, T.; Qing, W.; Li, X.; Shao, S. Unique behaviors and mechanism of highly soluble salt-induced wetting in membrane distillation. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022 , 56 , 14788−14796..

[Waly, T.; Kennedy, M. D.; Witkamp, G. J.; Amy, G.; Schippers, J. C. Will calcium carbonate really scale in seawater reverse osmosis Desalin. Water Treat . 2009, 5 , 146-152..

Warsinger, D. M.; Swaminathan, J.; Guillen-Burrieza, E.; Arafat, H. A.; Lienhard V, J. H. Scaling and fouling in membrane distillation for desalination applications: a review. Desalination 2015 , 356 , 294−313..

Gryta, M. Calcium sulphate scaling in membrane distillation process. Chem. Pap. 2009 , 63 , 146−151..

Gryta, M. Fouling in direct contact membrane distillation process. Desalination 2008 , 325 , 383−394..

Li, W.; Amirfazli, A. Microtextured superhydrophobic surfaces: a thermodynamic analysis. Adv. Colloid Interface Sci. 2007 , 132 , 51−68..

Karanikola, V.; Boo, C.; Rolf, J.; Elimelech, M. Engineered slippery surface to mitigate gypsum scaling in membrane distillation for treatment of hypersaline industrial wastewaters. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2018 , 52 , 14362−14370..

Gryta, M. Alkaline scaling in the membrane distillation process. Nanoscale 2008 , 228 , 128−134..

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Fluorinated Monodisperse Microporous Microspheres: Formation Mechanism, Assembly, and Molecular Separation

Utilizing Multilayer Design of Organic-Inorganic Hybrids to Enhance Wearable Strain Sensor in Humid Environment

Superhydrophobic PVDF/TiO₂-SiO₂ Membrane with Hierarchical Roughness in Membrane Distillation for Water Recovery from Phenolic Rich Solution Containing Surfactant

Related Author

Zhi-Yong Chen

Xin-Qi Wang

Xiao-Li Huang

Xin-Xin Qiu

Xin-Rui Xu

Si-Yu Wang

Robert K. Y. Li

Hui Zhao

Related Institution

Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fluorine Chemistry and Chemical Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, School of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Calcium Carbonate Resources Comprehensive Utilization, College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Hezhou University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon

School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal14300, Penang

⁰

Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Membrane via One-step Spraying Strategy Utilizing Organosilicon Chemistry and Its Performance in Membrane Distillation

DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3488-2

摘要

Abstract

关键词

Keywords

references