Modification of PVDF hydrophobic microfiltration membrane with a layer of electrospun fibers of PVP-co-PMMA: Increased fouling resistance

A wide range of materials can be used for membrane production for wastewater treatment using membrane technology. Polymeric membranes have the disadvantage of high fouling tendency when used for oil-water wastewater, reducing the membrane flux. In this study, a simple superficial modification with polydopamine (PDA) coating was used, combined with the electrospinning technique to create an additional layer over the hydrophobic commercial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, to achieve a hydrophilic surface and fouling resistance for oil-water separation. PVDF microfiltration membrane, with 0.22 μm of pore size, was modified with PDA by deposition for 12 h. A layer of polyvinylpyrrolidone-co-polymethyl methacrylate (PVP-co-PMMA) was electrospun over the modified polydopamine membrane. The modified membrane showed a hydrophilic surface, with a higher clean water flux and a reduction of fouling during emulsion filtration, when compared with the commercial microfiltration PVDF membrane. So that a simple modification, forming a multilayer membrane, increased up to 4 times of clean water flux after the cleaning procedure of the membrane.