Study on the effect of a non-solvent additive on the morphology and performance of ultrafiltration hollow-fiber membranes

Hollow-fiber membranes were prepared by the dry/wet spinning technique from polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) dope solutions containing the solvent N, N-dimethylacetamide and the non-solvent additive 1,2-ethanediol. Ethanol aqueous solution, 50% by volume, was used as internal and external coagulants. The effect of the non-solvent additive concentration on the morphological properties of the hollow fibers was studied in terms of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The pore size, the nodule size and the roughness parameters at the inner and outer surfaces of the hollow fibers were studied by AFM. The liquid entry pressure of water (LEPw) and the porosity of the hollow fibers were evaluated. The pore size was also determined by the gas permeation test and by the solute transport using ultrafiltration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethylene oxides (PEO). A comparative study was made between the membrane characteristics parameters obtained from the different characterization techniques.