Nanoarchitectonics of High‐Performance Bis(triethoxysilyl)methane (BTESM) Hybrid‐Silica Membrane for Pervaporative Desalination Applications

Abstract As an emerging technology, desalination by pervaporation (PV) has excellent potential in freshwater supply from saline waters. However, the investigation of stable membrane materials needs still to address separation issues such as fouling in desalination applications. Ceramic membranes, especially hybrid‐silica membranes, possess the required properties for pervaporation desalination and remain potentially tolerant to various saline waters which conventional membranes cannot withstand. Herein, we report the preparation of a thin, short‐chain BTESM hybrid‐silica membrane on cheap macroporous alumina supports for desalination applications through pervaporation. The fabricated membrane delivered water flux of 9.1 kg m −2 h −1 and 6.7 kg m −2 h −1 at 60 °C for simulated and real based sampled seawater, respectively, with a high rejection of >99.5 %. The fabricated membrane delivers excellent separation for various salt ranges and different salt solutions, including KCl, MgCl 2 , and CaCl 2 . Further, the PV performance of fabricated membranes implies that hybrid silica based membranes can be potential candidates for commercial desalination markets.