Fabrication of modified PVDF membrane in the presence of PVI polymer and evaluation of its performance in the filtration process

In this research, to prepare a polymer membrane with hydrophilic nature that has anti-fouling and anti-adhesion properties first, polyvinyl imidazole (PVI) Polymer was bonded as a surface modifier of fluorinated polyvinylidene (PVDF) membranes by Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. Therefore, to confirm the chemical changes of the hydrophilic membrane surface such as PVI polymer chain bonding and to investigate the uniform distribution of the polymer in the modified membrane pores and surface, experiments such as attenuated general reflectance (ATR-FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR), Water contact angle (WCA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), zeta potential, Atomic force microscopy (AFM) spectroscopy, Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray energy scattering (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns were performed. The results showed that the WCA for M1 membrane was about 83.37 +/- 1.77 and M(b)6 membrane was about 35.45 +/- 1.45, which improved the WCA rate of M(b)6 membrane surface by about 57.10%. Therefore, the total Anti-fouling rate and Flux recovery ratio (FRR) and rejection oil rate increased by about 35.2%, 18.65% and 10%, respectively. This study aimed to investigate the surface modification of membranes prepared with hydrophilic polymer PVI to separate oil from the oil-in-water emulsion, which is a suitable method and potential approach in controlling large-volume oil-in-water emulsion effluents. (C) 2021 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this research, a hydrophilic polymer membrane with anti-fouling and anti-adhesion properties was prepared by bonding polyvinyl imidazole (PVI) polymer as a surface modifier to fluorinated polyvinylidene (PVDF) membranes using Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. Experimental results showed that the modified membrane exhibited chemical changes and uniform distribution of the polymer, leading to improved anti-fouling rate, flux recovery ratio, and oil rejection rate.