US EPA

5432740 

Journal Article 

Fabrication and properties of PVDF and PVDF-HFP microfiltration membranes 

Wang, X; Xiao, C; Liu, H; Huang, Q; Fu, Hao 

2018 

Yes 

Journal of Applied Polymer Science
ISSN: 0021-8995
EISSN: 1097-4628 

135 

40 

46711-46711 

10.1002/app.46711 

WOS:000445450200003 

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) were used to fabricate porous microfiltration membranes via a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was used as diluent. The effects of polymer concentration on structure and performance were studied in detail. In addition, the effect of incorporation of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) groups on the membrane was also investigated. The formation mechanism was proposed with the assistance of a phase diagram. The results showed that the incorporation of HFP groups resulted in a lower crystallization temperature (T-c) of the polymer/DBP system. In addition, the porosity, pure water flux, and ink solution flux decreased with increasing polymer concentration. In contrast, the water contact angle, ink rejection ratio, and mechanical properties had an increasing tendency. When the polymer concentration was 30 wt %, the obtained membrane was most suitable for microfiltration. Furthermore, the incorporation of HFP groups improved the properties of the obtained membrane, including better hydrophobicity, mechanical properties, antifouling property, and chemical resistance. (C) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 

applications; mechanical properties; membranes; morphology