Increasing the hydrophilicity and antifouling properties of polyvinylidene fluoride membranes by doping novel nano-hybrid ZnO@ZIF-8 nanoparticles for 4-nitrophenol degradation

ZIF-8 modification can reduce aggregation of ZnO (a typical photocatalyst), and enhances antifouling property of PVDF membranes. In this study, we developed a novel membrane by adding ZnO@ZIF-8 nanoparticles into polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) substrates by using non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. Filtration test with bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed that the modified membrane has good pure water flux (395 L m(-2) h(-1), PWF) and high flux recovery rate (94%, FRR). Furthermore, the SiO2:ZnO@ZIF-8 membrane showed high separation effect in 4-NP degradation test under light condition, with the flux achieved about 321 L m(-2) h(-1) during filtration process. The degradation efficiency reached 81.5%, the apparent rate constant (Kapp/min(-1)) was 0.211 min(-1). Besides, in prolonged 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) degradation test, the SiO2:ZnO@ZIF-8 membrane maintained higher flux and degradation rate. Thus, we reported a novel membrane with a prominent antifouling property.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel membrane was developed by incorporating ZnO@ZIF-8 nanoparticles into PVDF substrates, resulting in improved antifouling property. The modified membrane showed high pure water flux and flux recovery rate, as well as high separation efficiency and degradation rate in 4-NP degradation test.