[Surface modification of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane by using the zwitterionic substance]

Abstract

In order to enhance the hydrophilicity of the membrane and improve the antifouling properties, poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacry-late) (poly(HEMA)) was grafted to the surface of the poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane by using the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. After that, ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as the initiator, N, N'-methylene bisacrylamide as a cross-linking agent, a zwitterionic polymer, poly (3-( methacryloylamino) propyl-dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide) (poly(MPDSAH)) were successfully grafted onto the membrane surface by radical polymerization reaction. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and contact angle measuring were employed to analyze the property and the morphology of structures before and after the membrane surface-modification. The grafting density (GD) gradually increased, with the grafting time increasing, the pore size of the membrane became smaller, and the porosity decreased, but the surface hydrophilicity of membrane was significantly enhanced at the same time. The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) tests and filtration experiments were carried out to investigate anti-fouling performances of membrane before and after modification. With the GD increasing, the amount of adsorption on the film surface significantly reduced in the high-concentration BSA solution. The water contact angle (CA) decreased most, from 77. 2 degrees to 41.7 degrees within 5 s to 0, and a flux recovery ratio up to 94. 961% , when the GD reached 288. 340 microg.cm-2. Therefore, the optimal grafting time was 2 h, with the grafting density of 288. 340 microg.cm-2.