Preparation of antifouling poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes via different coating methods using a zwitterionic copolymer

Abstract To reduce the fouling resistance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes, a copolymer of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) and n -butyl methacrylate (BMA) [poly(MPC- co -BMA)] was coated on a membrane and into its pores from an aqueous solution using two different methods, the immersion and flow-through methods. The effects of poly(MPC- co -BMA) coating on the water flux, surface morphology, and fouling propensity of three types of commercial ultrafiltration membranes with molecular-weight cutoffs ranging from 50 to 250 kDa were investigated. The fouling resistances of modified membranes to bovine serum albumin were compared to those of the unmodified membranes. The evaluation of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of the modified membranes confirmed that poly(MPC- co -BMA) was coated on the membrane surfaces. Although both modification methods effectively prevented protein fouling, the flow-through coating method demonstrated a better antifouling propensity. The coated copolymer stability results indicated that the coated copolymer layer on the membrane surface using both coating methods was quite stable even after ultrasonic treatment.