ABSTRACT
Electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs), which feature high porosity and microporous nanostructures, are receiving much attention as an up-and-coming approach for membrane distillation (MD) applications such as wastewater treatment and desalination. Electrospinning is a facile and simple method for fabricating nanofibers from a polymer solution using the electrostatic force between the evaporating solvent and the charged surface. ENMs exhibit a number of important characteristics, including high flux and rejection rate, thermal steadiness, excellent physical-chemical resistance, effective liquid entry pressure and pore size, superhydrophobicity, and high surface roughness. Moreover, by coupling nanomaterials or electrospraying with electrospinning during membrane fabrication, existing membrane surfaces can be modified to have desirable functionality, such as antifouling and antiwetting properties, and prolonged membrane life expectancy. This chapter presents a brief introduction of ENMs fabrication via electrospinning and electrospraying, ENM’s application in MD, and theoretical analyses of ENMs in MD.
