Enhancement in flux and antifouling properties of polyvinylidene fluoride/polycarbonate blend membranes for water environmental improvement

Abstract

In this work, to overcome the fouling phenomenon of hydrophobic polyme membranes, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was blended with hydrophilic polycarbonate (PC) t prepare ultrafiltration membranes via the nonsolvent-induced phase separation method. The effects o PC content on membrane morphology, pore size distribution, and surface porosity were characterize and investigated by FE-SEM and image analyzer software. Solubility parameters calculated b molecular dynamics (MD) simulation showed that PVDF and PC are compatible and the results wer confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X-ray diffractometry. The long-ter chemical stability against NaOH and mechanical property before and after the abrasion test of th prepared membranes were also characterized by dynamic thermomechanical analysis. It was foun that the hydrophilicity, water flux, abrasion resistance, and antifouling properties as the performanc criteria of polymeric membranes were improved because of the presence of PC, and the separatio efficiency of PVDF/PC membranes is much higher than that of the pristine PVDF membrane. Th exemplary water filtration performances of these polymer membranes are harnessed here in this wor to purify raw water polluted by natural organic matters, addressing the key environmental issue o water contamination.