Abstract Membrane distillation (MD) is a burgeoning membrane technology that has gained immense interest among membrane scientists worldwide. Despite a slow start, both the theoretical and experimental researches on MD, especially on desalination applications, have escalated significantly over the past few decades. Although the large-scale use of MD has not proliferated worldwide, the researches done thus far have helped us to understand the rudiments of MD and explore the potential areas capable of enhancing its commercial attractiveness. Membranes of very high quality, nearing the properties of an ideal membrane, will fuel the growth of this technology. An ideal membrane for MD is expected to have features such as high liquid entry pressure, low fouling rate, low thermal conductivity, high permeability and excellent mechanical strength. In that regard, ceramic membranes have been appreciated for their high tolerance to harsh conditions, however, their high cost has rendered them less favourable commercially. Polymeric membranes are seen as a plausible cheaper alternative and have dominated research done thus far on MD. This review aims to give a brief introduction to MD and a summary of the research efforts to acquire the desired properties in polymeric membranes used in MD for desalination purposes. Potential research directions are highlighted too.

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使用膜蒸馏脱盐的聚合物膜：综述

摘要 膜蒸馏 (MD) 是一种新兴的膜技术，引起了全世界膜科学家的极大兴趣。尽管起步缓慢，但在过去的几十年中，MD 的理论和实验研究，尤其是海水淡化应用，已显着升级。尽管 MD 的大规模使用尚未在全球范围内激增，但迄今为止所做的研究已帮助我们了解 MD 的基本原理并探索能够增强其商业吸引力的潜在领域。质量非常高的膜，接近理想膜的特性，将推动这项技术的发展。理想的 MD 膜有望具有高液体进入压力、低污染率、低导热性、高渗透性和优异的机械强度等特性。在这方面，陶瓷膜因其对恶劣条件的高耐受性而受到赞赏，然而，它们的高成本使其在商业上不太受欢迎。聚合物膜被视为一种看似合理的更便宜的替代品，并且在迄今为止的 MD 研究中占据主导地位。本综述旨在简要介绍 MD，并总结在用于 MD 的用于脱盐目的的聚合物膜中获得所需特性的研究工作。潜在的研究方向也被突出显示。本综述旨在简要介绍 MD，并总结在用于 MD 的用于脱盐目的的聚合物膜中获得所需特性的研究工作。潜在的研究方向也被突出显示。本综述旨在简要介绍 MD，并总结在用于 MD 的用于脱盐目的的聚合物膜中获得所需特性的研究工作。潜在的研究方向也被突出显示。