Preparation of dopamine/Ag-modified graphene oxide/polysulfone/poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membrane with hydrophilic and antibacterial dual function

To improve the hydrophilicity and long-lasting bacterial inhibition of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration membranes, DA/Ag-GO/PSF/PVDF hybrid ultrafiltration membranes were prepared with PVDF and polysulfone (PSF) as substrates, graphene oxide (GO) as additives, and dopamine (DA) and silver as surface modifications. The structure and performance of PSF/PVDF hybrid membranes were investigated by SEM, FTIR, contact angle, filtration flux, and bacterial inhibition tests. The results showed that with the addition of GO, the hydrophilicity of the PSF/PVDF hybrid membranes were enhanced, the water flux tended to be increased, the retention rate of bovine serum albumin were maintained above 94%, and the bacterial inhibition against Gram-negative and positive bacteria were obvious. When GO was added at 0.2 wt%, the contact angle of the hybrid membrane decreased from 87° to 69°, the water flux increased from 406.05 to 650.52 L m −2 h −1 , the flux recovery increased from 49.18% to 84.40%, and the resistance to organic contamination was significantly improved.