Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/PVDF-g-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/TiO2mixed matrix nanofiltration membranes: preparation and characterization

In this paper, the effect of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-g-polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and nano-TiO2, as organic and inorganic additives, respectively, on the antifouling properties of PVDF nanofiltration membranes was studied. PVDF-g-PVP/TiO(2)mixed matrix membranes were prepared using the phase inversion method. The PVDF-g-PVP was synthesized via the atom transfer radical polymerization technique and characterized using(1)H NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and TGA. The characterization of prepared membranes was carried out using SEM, field emission scanning electron microscopy, FTIR and contact angle analyses; and porosity, pure water flux, bovine serum albumin solution filtration and antifouling experiments were also studied. According to the results, the membranes could be successfully modified by using PVDF-g-PVP and nano-TiO(2)additives. The hydrophilicity of the modified membranes increased, leading to a decrease in contact angle values and an increase in water flux, pore size and porosity of the membranes. Furthermore, compared with neat PVDF membranes, the modified membranes showed high rejection (95.35%) of bovine serum albumin solution. The water flux recovery ratio of the modified membranes also reached 87.64%, indicating a considerable improvement in antifouling properties in comparison with the neat membrane. (c) 2020 Society of Chemical Industry