Optimization of preparation conditions of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/graphene oxide microfiltration membranes by the Taguchi experimental design

•The preparation conditions of PVDF/GO membranes were optimized by Taguchi design.•The optimal conditions were 12 wt.% PVDF, 5 wt.% PVP and 3 wt.% GO in DMAC.•The solution type was the most effective factor.•The introduction of GO improved antifouling properties of composite membranes.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)/graphene oxide (GO) microfiltration membranes were prepared via phase inversion process. The Taguchi experiments were designed to optimize the preparation conditions of composite membranes. PVDF content, solution type, GO content, and poly-(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) content were chosen as important effecting parameters. Membrane filtration resistance was optimized by calculating the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the parameters. The group of PVDF = 12 wt.%, solution type = N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), GO = 3 wt.%, and PVP = 5 wt.% was the optimal combination, and solution type was the most effective factor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that all membranes had thicker finger-like substructures. To further investigate the influence of GO on antifouling and mechanical properties, the pure PVDF and PVDF/GO composite membranes (3.0 wt.%) were prepared according to the optimum conditions. The PVDF/GO composite membranes presented better antifouling performances due to the improvement of membrane hydrophilicity. The tensile strength and Young's modulus reached values of 10.33 and 148.47 MPa, which corresponded to a 55.11% and 67.14% increase, respectively.