Fabrication of PVDF/EVOH blend hollow fiber membranes with hydrophilic property via thermally induced phase process

In this study, thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) technology was used to fabricate the PVDF/EVOH blend hollow fiber membranes using water-soluble mixed diluents. An interconnected bulk structure was formed by L-L phase separation for both the pristine membrane and blend membrane. The surface enrichment for EVOH during the cooling process enhanced the hydrophilicity of prepared hollow fiber membranes. It was found that the tensile strength of the blend membrane significantly increased from 2.6 MPa to 8.8 MPa. The variation of the membrane structure made the water permeability increase from 60 L m-2 h-1 bar- 1 to 287 L m-2 h-1 bar- 1 for the optimized blend membrane. Compared with the pristine membrane, EVOH blend membrane exhibited higher antifouling properties for BSA, HA, and oil-in-water emulsion filtrations.

Automated summary

In this study, PVDF/EVOH blend hollow fiber membranes were fabricated using thermally induced phase separation technology. The surface enrichment of EVOH during the fabrication process improved the hydrophilicity, tensile strength, and water permeability of the membranes. Compared to the pristine membrane, the EVOH blend membrane showed better antifouling properties.