Preparation of a PVDF hollow fiber blend membrane via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method using new synthesized zwitterionic copolymer

Antifouling properties of PVDF hollow fiber membrane were improved by the addition of a new synthesized zwitterionic copolymer. This copolymer was synthesized using methyl methacrylate and the zwitterionic monomer 3-(methacryloylamino)propyl-dimethyl(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide) (MPDSAH). The copolymer was used as additive in the preparation of a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow fiber membrane via thermally induced phase separation. With addition of the copolymer, the crystallization temperature and spherulite growth rate of the polymeric solution decreased sharply. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring results showed that bovine serum albumin (BSA) interactions with the prepared PVDF/copolymer film sharply decreased with addition of the synthesized copolymer. BSA filtration results showed that the membrane had higher antifouling resistance than a membrane without the copolymer additive.