Antifouling ultrafiltration membranes made from PAN-b-PEG copolymers: Effect of copolymer composition and PEG chain length

► Antifouling ultrafiltration membranes were prepared by polyacrylonitrile-block-polyethylene glycol (PAN-b-PEG) copolymers. ► PAN-b-PEG copolymer membranes possessed excellent hydrophilic surface. ► PAN-b-PEG copolymer membranes exhibited better antifouling ability for BSA than PAN membranes. ► The antifouling ability of the copolymer membranes increased with increasing PEG content in the copolymer. ► The chain length of PEG had little effect on the antifouling ability of the copolymer membrane.