Poly(vinylidene fluoride) hollow-fiber membranes containing silver/graphene oxide dope with excellent filtration performance

In this study, an antifouling poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) hollow-fiber membrane was fabricated by blending with silver-loaded graphene oxide via phase inversion through a dry-jet, wet-spinning technique. The presence of graphene oxide endowed the blended membrane with a high antifouling ability for organic fouling. The permeation fluxes of the blended membrane was 3.3 and 2.9 times higher than those of a pristine PVDF membrane for filtering feed water containing protein and normal organic matter, respectively. On the other hand, the presence of silver improved the antibiofouling capability of the blended membrane. For the treatment of Escherichia coli suspension, the permeation flux of the blended membranes was 8.2 times as high as that of the pristine PVDF membrane. Additionally, the presented blended membrane improved the hydrophilicity and mechanical strength compared to those of the pristine PVDF membrane, with the water contact angle decreasing from 86.1 to 62.5° and the tensile strength increasing from 1.94 to 2.13 MPa. This study opens an avenue for the fabrication of membranes with high permeabilities and antifouling abilities through the blending of graphene-based materials for water treatment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44713.