Enhancing the Antibacterial and Antifouling Properties of PVDF Membrane by Blending Modification Using Zn@TiO2 Nanoparticles

In this work, antibacterial and antifouling properties Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite membranes were prepared via nonsolvent-induced phase separation of PVDF and Zn@TiO2 blending. The Zn@TiO2 nanoparticle was successfully prepared by the sol-gel method, and then Zn@TiO2 was used to modify the PVDF membrane to obtain higher water flux and antibacterial and antifouling properties. The PVDF composite membrane was systematically characterized through a series of analysis techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In addition, the water contact angle, pure water flux, tensile strength, porosity, antibacterial property and stain resistance of the membrane have been studied. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used to evaluate the antibacterial performance of the membrane, and the BSA was selected as a model organic pollutant to study the antifouling performance of the membrane. Results show that the PVDF composite membranes have excellent antibacterial properties (nearly 100%), high permeability (up to 433.69 L m−2 h−1) and mechanical strength (enhanced by 26.5%). It can be used for possible complex high-protein wastewater treatment without facing serious biological pollution problems, and has broad application prospects.