Development Of Low-Fouling Pvdf Membranes Blended With Poly (2-Methoxyethyl Acrylate) Via Nips Process

PVDF-based membranes with low-fouling and high permeability properties were developed by blending poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with poly(2-methoxyethyl acrylate) (PMEA), a low-fouling polymer, via nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS). Since PMEA suppresses protein adsorption and is insoluble in water, the PMEA homopolymer was used as an additive. Consequently, transparent dope solutions containing 15 wt% PVDF and 0-7 wt% PMEA were prepared using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone as the solvent. The macrovoids in the blended membranes were larger than those in the pristine PVDF membrane and were probably attributed to the PMEA-promoted solvent exchange during the NIPS process. As a result, the pure water permeabilities of the blended membranes were 5-10 times higher than those of the pristine PVDF membrane. The ATR FT-IR characterization revealed that the PMEA composition of the membrane surfaces increased as the PMEA blend ratio in the dope solution increased. This resulted in the improvement of their low-fouling properties when used in 1000 ppm of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme aqueous solutions. Additionally, the PMEA-blended PVDF membrane with the highest PMEA ratio showed the best low-fouling properties.