Applied Sciences (Dec 2015)

Improved Permeate Flux of PVDF Ultrafiltration Membrane Containing PVDF-g-PHEA Synthesized via ATRP

  • Kwang-Mo Kim,
  • Sahng Hyuck Woo,
  • Ju Sung Lee,
  • Hyun Sic Park,
  • Jinwon Park,
  • Byoung Ryul Min

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app5041992
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5, no. 4
pp. 1992 – 2008

Abstract

Read online

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane combined with polyvinylidene fluoride-graft-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (PVDF-g-PHEA) was fabricated via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS). In this study, PVDF-g-PHEA was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method, and then synthesized graft copolymer was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA). Moreover, PVDF membranes containing graft copolymer (PVDF-g-PHEA) showed lower water contact angle value than pristine PVDF membranes. Macrovoid holes were also observed in cross sectional scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of PVDF membrane containing PVDF-g-PHEA. Accordingly, it was confirmed that these characteristics led PVDF membrane blended with graft copolymer has high final permeate flux and normalized flux compared to pristine PVDF membrane.

Keywords