Fabrication of polyvinylidene fluoride blending membrane coupling with microemulsion polymerization and their anti-fouling performance

Abstract

Aiming at enhancing on the permeation and anti-fouling performance of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes, hydrophilic polymers containing AgCl nanoparticles prepared via in-situ microemulsion polymerization were blended with PVDF polymer. Firstly, AgCl nanoparticles generated in the reverse microemulsion using a mixture of styrene and methyl methacrylate as an oil phase. Subsequently, the polymerized microemulsion with AgCl nanoparticles generated from the reverse microemulsion through in-situ polymerization for the oil phase. Finally, PVDF blending membranes were constructed by blending polymerized microemulsion with PVDF. From the results by the structural characterization and ultrafiltration experiments, it was found that addition of the polymerized microemulsion containing hydrophilic polymers and AgCl nanoparticles both improved the pore structures and hydrophilicity of the blending membranes, thus enhancing their permeation performance and anti-fouling property. However, excess polymerized microemulsion could not blend uniformly with PVDF and caused the formation of AgCl agglomerates in the blending membranes, which depressed both permeation performance and anti-fouling property of the resulting membrane.