Enhanced anti-fouling and self-cleaning performances of GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF ultrafiltration membrane under UV light induction

In this work, a new polyvinylidene fluoride nano-ultrafiltration membrane modified by graphene oxide/ titanium dioxide doped with cerium composite materials (GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF) was prepared by phase inversion method. The water contact angle, porosity, pore size distribution, and photocatalytic performance of the membrane were studied. Compared with the PVDF membrane, the water contact angle of the modified membrane decreased to 36.5°, the pure water flux improved to 119.64 L·m-2·h-1, and the retention rate of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was 95.3%. The synergistic effect of GO and Ce-TiO2 could improve the photocatalytic activity of the composite membrane, and the degradation rate of BSA was 97.4%. The flux recovery rate (FRR) of the modified membrane was 82.38%, which was 22.24% higher than that of the PVDF membrane (67.39%). The FRR of the modified membrane increased to 91.54% under water cleaning and UV irradiation. Five cycle experiments showed that the permeate flux of the polluted membrane was further restored from 78.45 L·m-2·h-1 to 76.95 L·m-2·h-1 after UV irradiation, and the retention rate of BSA was maintained at about 95%. Therefore, as predicted, the GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF membrane could be widely applied in the water treatment industry due to its high anti-fouling and self-cleaning performances. [Display omitted] •The GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF composite membrane was prepared by dispersing GO/Ce-TiO2 nano-materials to PVDF membrane.•The maximum pure water flux of the GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF membrane reached 119.64 L·m-2·h-1.•The BSA retention of the GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF membrane was up to 95.3% under UV irradiation.•The GO/Ce-TiO2-PVDF membrane was of high self-cleaning and anti-fouling performances under UV irradiation.