Abstract
In situ polymerization of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) followed by electrospinning was employed to prepare electrospun nanofibrous membranes (ENMs), referred to as PVDF-PHEMA-ENMs. Enhanced hydrophilicity of the ENMs was observed after polymerization. A decrease in the fiber thickness resulted in a decrease in the pore size and 60% improvement in the flux. The fiber mat exhibited excellent microfiltration behavior after being coated with a surface-charged chitosan (CS) polymer, compared with its non-coated counterparts. Porosity, flux and protein adsorption studies were performed for these ENMs. A comparatively less reduced flux and better recovery ratio were observed for the PVDF-PHEMA-ENMs and CS-coated PVDF-PHEMA-ENMs due to hydrophilic pendant hydroxyl groups (from PHEMA) and/or CS groups, which can prohibit irreversible protein adsorption, on the ENM surfaces.
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We wish to thank the NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute and the Department of Mechanical Engineering, NUS, Singapore for their financial support.
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Nasreen, S., Sundarrajan, S., Syed Nizar, S. et al. In situ polymerization of PVDF-HEMA polymers: electrospun membranes with improved flux and antifouling properties for water filtration. Polym J 46, 167–174 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2013.79
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2013.79
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