Performance enhancement of polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration membrane modified with graphene oxide

A novel polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane was modified with graphene oxide (GO) via phase inversion method to improve its hydrophilicity and mechanical properties. The GO presented a large amount of hydrophilic groups after the modification through the modified Hummers method. It was observed that with the addition of low fraction of GO powder, the GO/PVC hybrid membranes exhibited a significant enhancement in hydrophilicity, water flux, and mechanical properties. With optimal dosage (0.1 wt%), the pure water flux of GO/PVC membrane increased from 232.6 L/(m2 h bar) to 430.0 L/(m2 h bar) and the tensile strength increased from 231.3 cN to 305.3 cN. The improved properties of the PVC/GO hybrid membranes are mainly attributed to the strong hydrophilicity of functional groups on the GO surface, indicating that GO has a promising candidate for modification of PVC ultrafiltration membranes in wastewater treatment.

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