Effect of take-up speed on physical properties and permeation performance of cellulose acetate hollow fibers

Cellulose acetate (CA) ultrafiltration hollow fibers were spun via the dry-jet wet spinning technique. The effect of the take-up speed on the mechanical properties, morphology, thermal properties, pure water permeation, retention, and surface characterization of hollow fiber membranes were investigated. Both the inner and outer diameters of the hollow fiber decreased with the increase of take-up speed. Macrovoids were observed on the inner surface of the drawn hollow fibers. The d-space decreased with the increase of the take-up speed. The ultimate tensile stress (UTS) increased and the breaking elongation decreased with the increase of take-up speed. The permeation performance was measured. The hydraulic permeability increased and the retention decreased slightly with the increase of the take-up speed. The surface roughness increased with the increase of the take-up speed. The thermal analysis results showed that the endothermic peak shifts to the higher temperature region and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) decrease for a higher take-up speed. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.