In‐solution structure formation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) building units influencing on the final membrane characteristics

A systematic study was carried out on the initial casting solutions of asymmetric PVDF ultrafiltration membranes to observe the aggregate structure of polymer building units in solution and the properties of the membranes in terms of microstructure morphology, crystallinity, average pore size, pore‐size distribution, total porosity, hydrophobicity, wetting energy, molecular weight cut‐off, and permeability. Hydrophobic membrane of higher porosity exhibiting higher flux was obtained from the solution of bigger polymer structural units while the membrane obtained from solution of smaller polymer structural units exhibited relatively rougher and hydrophilic surface and smaller uniform pores with lesser flux.