Fabrication of Cu(OH)2 Nanowires Blended Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Ultrafiltration Membranes for Oil-Water Separation

Cu(OH) 2 nanowires were prepared and incorporated into poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) to fabricate Cu(OH) 2 -PVDF ultrafiltration (UF) membrane via immersion precipitation phase inversion process. The effect of Cu(OH) 2 nanowires on the morphology of membranes was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The results showed that all the Cu(OH) 2 -PVDF membranes had wider fingerlike pore structure and better hydrophilicity, smoother surface than pristine PVDF membrane due to the incorporation of Cu(OH) 2 nanowires. In addition, water flux and bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection were also measured to investigate the filtration performance of membranes. The results indicated that all the Cu(OH) 2 -PVDF membranes had high water flux, outstanding BSA rejection and excellent antifouling properties. It is worth mentioning that the optimized performance could be obtained when the Cu(OH) 2 nanowires content reached 1.2 wt%. Furthermore, the membrane with 1.2 wt% Cu(OH) 2 nanowires showed outstanding oil-water emulsion separation capability.