Microstructure adjustment of an asymmetric ceramic membrane with high permeation performance

An asymmetric alumina ceramic membrane was prepared by secondary dip coating. The influence of different dispersants and dip coating parameters on the microstructure of the membrane separation layer was explored. Meanwhile, the pure water fluxes of the membranes with various microstructures were also studied. The results show that a separation layer with a defect-free thickness of 16.5 μm and high surface flatness can be obtained when using polycarboxylate as a dispersant and twice dip coating within 2 s + 1 s and the pure water flux of an asymmetric membrane up to 1153 L × m-2 × h-1 × bar-1. The present work provides a simple and effective method for controlling the morphology and permeation performance of an asymmetric alumina membrane.