Pore size and flux behavior of polyvinylidene fluoride and polymethyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride with TiO2

• Membranes made of PVDF, PVME-alt-MA, and TiO2 were prepared by phase inversion.
• PVME-alt-MA increased porosity and reduced macrovoid formation.
• The membrane made from 6% PVME-alt-MA had the highest flux and fouling resistance.
• Larger pores delayed the onset of BSA cake layer formation.
• Flux was mostly recovered by rinsing, but minimally affected by UV treatment.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membrane is easily fouled due to its hydrophobic nature. This study attempted to reduce fouling by combining PVDF with hydrophilic poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic anhydride) (PVMVE-alt-MA) and TiO2 nanoparticles by phase inversion method. Results showed that the average pore size of the blended membranes increased when the amount of PVME-alt-MA that was added to the casted dope was increased from 0% to 3%, but beyond 3% there was no change in pore size. The membrane made from 6% PVME-alt-MA displayed minimal macrovoid formation, and sustained the highest flux in both pure water crossflow filtration and 1% bovine serum albumin (BSA) laboratory-scale filtration. It also exhibited the highest flux recovery after water rinsing and UV treatment. Flux and transmembrane pressure (TMP) trends indicate that membrane morphology (pore size and sub-layer pore arrangement) have greater impact on preventing cake layer formation than hydrophilicity. Water rinsing caused the membranes to recover 50–95% of their initial flux, whereas UV treatment had minimal effect. The membranes exhibited Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye removal by photocatalysis.