Reinforced hollow fiber membranes: A comprehensive review.

• This paper reviews various aspects of reinforced hollow fiber membranes (HFMs). • There is a focus on the braid-reinforced hollow fiber membranes. • Advantages and disadvantages of reinforcement methods are presented. • Tensile strength and elongation at breaks are the most studied properties of HFMs. • Some crucial issues of reinforced hollow fiber membranes need to be further studied. Reinforcing the HFMs provides appropriate mechanical and shear strengths and improves break at elongation. This comprehensive review paper first discusses the fundamental concept of HFMs fabrications, advantages and disadvantages of HFMs, fabrication methods and fabrication materials. Then, reinforcement methods are categorized into porous matrix membrane reinforced method, the fibers (use of threads or filament) reinforced method, and the use of tubular braids, and each one is discussed based on the concept of thermochemical compatibility of the supporting material and the base polymer. Such a compatibility leads to homogeneous- and heterogeneous-reinforcement method with different interfacial bonding state. A comparative study on the mentioned reinforcement methods is also presented based on the tabulated and charted tensile strength and elongation at break data. At the end, a brief look is taken into commercialized products and worldwide projects installed or under installation in the field of reinforced HFMs. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]