Preparation and Characterization of Poly(vinylidene) Fluoride Membranes Reinforced by Modified Nano-SiO2 Particles

Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hybrid membranes reinforced by hydrophilic nanoSiO2 particles were fabricated from PVDF/N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/γ-butyrolactone (γ-BL) system via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) process. Surface and cross-sectional morphology of membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The properties such as permeability, mechanical performances and antifouling property were also determined. The results showed that the pore size of membrane surface became smaller, while cross-sectional morphology was changed from bicontinuous structure to cell structure, the pore size became larger and majorities of closed pores became open with the addition of hydrophilic nanoSiO2 particles in the system. Compared with pure membrane, pure water flux of hybrid membrane increased by 30.3%, i.e. from 290 to 378 L/(m2·h·0.1MPa), antifouling property increased from 63.1% to 80.2%. Meanwhile, tensile strength and elongation at break increased by 70.6% and124%, respectively.