Performance improvement of reduced graphene oxide blended PVDF ultrafiltration membrane

The performance of a novel polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane with high hydrophilicity and enhanced separation ability was discussed with the addition of a small amount of reduced graphene oxide nanoparticles (rGO). The PVDF-rGO ultrafiltration composite membrane was effectively synthesized, by incorporating rGO (0.1% wt) as nanoparticles by the phase inversion process. The impact of these modifications was studied. The morphological structure of the membranes was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The changes in the chemical structure were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The SEM images revealed that in the PVDF membrane, the diameter of the pores increased after rGO grafting. Performance tests showed that the PVDF membrane has flux and a rejection of bovine serum albumin about 92% at an optimum transmembrane pressure of 4 bar. The incorporation of rGO improved the protein rejection, reaching a rejection rate of around 92% at 4 bar. These results suggest that incorporating rGO nanoparticles can enhance the permeability of the membrane. The PVDF membrane modified with 0.1 wt.% rGO showed a considerably higher flux than the unmodified membrane.