Preparation and performance of the novel PVDF ultrafiltration membranes blending with PVA modified SiO2 hydrophilic nanoparticles

In this study, PVA-SiO2 was synthesized by modifying silica (SiO2) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), then a novel polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was prepared by incorporating the prepared PVA-SiO2 into membrane matrix using the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The effects of PVA-SiO2 particle on the properties of the PVDF membrane were systematically studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), surface pore size, porosity, and water contact angle. The results indicated that with the addition of PVA-SiO2 particles in the PVDF UF membranes, membrane mean pore size increased from 80.06 to 126.00 nm, porosity improved from 77.4% to 89.1%, and water contact angle decreased from 75.61 degrees to 63.10 degrees. Furthermore, ultrafiltration experiments were conducted in terms of pure water flux, bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection, and anti-fouling performance. It indicated that with the addition of PVA-SiO2 particles, pure water flux increased from 70 to 126 L/m(2) h, BSA rejection increased from 67% to 86%, flux recovery ratio increased from 60% to 96%, total fouling ratio decreased from 50% to 18.7%, and irreversible fouling ratio decreased from 40% to 4%. Membrane anti-fouling property was improved, and it can be expected that this work may provide some references to the improvement of the anti-fouling performance of the PVDF ultrafiltration membrane. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E412-E421, 2019. (c) 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers