The Influence of PEG Additive on the Morphology of PVDF Ultrafiltration Membranes and Its Antifouling Properties Towards Proteins Separation

In the present work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared by diffusion induced phase separation process (DIPS). N,N’-dimethylformamide (DMF) was used as the solvent and water was used as coagulant. The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG 2000) concentration in the casting solution on morphology and performance were investigated. The physical properties of PVDF UF membranes were characterized based on pore size distribution, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle. The permeation performance of the membranes were evaluated in term of pure water flux (PWF), relative flux reduction (RFR), flux recovery ratio (FRR), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection. The pore size distribution increased with the increased in PEG 2000 concentrations, and pure water flux also increased accordingly. The PEG 2000 at concentration of 6 wt.% achieved lowest RFR (50.38%), highest FRR (84.54%) and achieved highest BSA rejection, of 94.55%. This membrane exhibited better antifouling properties as well as improved membrane performance during filtration of BSA due to the optimum pore size, hydrophilic as well as smooth surface.