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. 2018 Oct 12;10(10):1134. doi: 10.3390/polym10101134

Table 1.

Recent publications on PVDF-TiO2 membrane preparation.

TiO2 Type Membrane Preparation and Particle Immobilization Technique Main Results/Application Reference
Nanoparticles on Membrane Surface
85% anatase and 15% rutile TiO2 (20 nm, TitanPE Technologies) NIPS+ (NPs in coagulation bath) Improved membrane hydrophilicity and roughness. Superior retention properties (98.28%) of humic acid. [18]
TiO2 NPs synthesized from Tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) Pre-treated PVDF film immersed in the TiO2 suspension Improved membrane hydrophilicity and permeability, anti-fouling properties. Tests for adsorption of Cu2+ (removal of heavy metals via solid-phase extraction); decreased adsorption capacity of BSA. [19]
--- Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) plasma-grafted on commercial PVDF followed by dipping in aqueous TiO2 suspension. Improved membrane hydrophilicity and permeability, anti-fouling properties. Tests for photodegradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) dye (wastewater treatment and re-use processes). [20]
TiO2 NPs were synthesized from titanium (IV) iso-propoxide (TTIP) Coating of TiO2 NPs onto PVDF membrane. Super-hydrophobic PVDF membrane (for membrane distillation), improved rejection to NaCl and anti-fouling properties. Fouling tests with humic acid and CaCl2. [21]
TiO2
(20 nm Degussa)
NIPS+ Coating of TiO2 NPs onto PVDF/SPES membrane. Improved hydrophilicity, less tendency to fouling, improved BSA rejection. Membranes anti-bacterial properties tested on E. Coli via inhibition zone method. [22]
85% anatase and 15% rutile TiO2 (20 nm, TitanPE Technologies) NIPS+ (NPs in coagulation bath) NPs had a significant effect on the membrane anti-fouling property. By increasing TiO2 content, membrane surface increased. Sufficient electrostatic repulsion appears between highly charged PVDF-TiO2 MMMs and HA aggregates, alleviating the adsorption phenomenon. [23]
TiO2 NPs were synthesized from titanium (IV) iso-propoxide (TTIP) NIPS+ A two-step modification methodology (polydopamine (pDA) coating method and vacuum filtration process) Au-TiO2/pDA/PVDF nanocomposite membranes were tested for the degradation of tetracycline under visible light irradiation. [24]
TiO2 NPs were synthesized from titanium (IV) iso-propoxide (TTIP) Commercial PVDF membrane (Millipore Pty. Ltd.) Laccase covalently immobilized on the TiO2 sol–gel coated PVDF membranes. Bio-catalytic membranes exhibited good Bisphenol A degradation efficiency over repeated use. [25]
TiO2
(20 nm Degussa)
TiO2 coated on modified PAA-PVDF membrane Reduced fouling tendency of PVDF membranes using whey solutions as foulant. [10]
TiO2 NPs synthesized from Titanium tetrachloride PVDF membrane coated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) The deposition of TiO2 enhanced the hydrophilicity and fouling resistance of the PVDF membranes, which was more evident at higher ALD cycle numbers. [11]
Nanoparticles in Dope Solution
Anatase TiO2 (20 nm, Meidilin Nanometer Material) TIPS Microfiltration membranes showing uniform polymer spherulites, improved membrane performance. [26]
Anatase TiO2 (20 nm, TitanPE Technologies) NIPS Improved membrane hydrophilicity and permeability, anti-fouling properties. Tests of photo-degradation of methylene blue (MB). [27]
TiO2 (20 nm Degussa) NIPS Ultrafiltration membranes with improved membrane hydrophilicity and permeability, anti-fouling properties. Photodegradation experiments carried out on RB5; anti-fouling properties tested using BSA. [28]
TiO2 (20–30 nm Degussa) NIPS Ultrafiltration membranes with good combination of flux and rejection and no particles aggregation. Foulants’ photocatalytic degradation was tested using Humic Acid (HA) (Natural organic matter, NOM, removal). [29]
98% anatase TiO2 (20 nm Degussa) NIPS Membranes for treatment of colored wastewaters from textile or dye industry. Membrane wetting and dyes (Brilliant Green, BG, and Indigo Carmin, IC) photodegradation improved via ethanol membrane-pretreatment. [30]
__ NIPS PVDF–TiO2/PVDF dual layer hollow fiber membranes were prepared by the co-extrusion technique. The technique allows the nanoparticle distributed uniformly inside the membrane. The stability of dual layer hollow fiber membranes under UV changed in the surface during the whole operational period [31]
TiO2 (20–30 nm Degussa) NIPS TiO2 NP improved the surface hydrophilicity and water permeation flux of the membrane. Anti-fouling properties tested using BSA [32]
TiO2 Aeroxide P25 (85% anatase-15% rutile, ~20 nm) NIPS Under UV irradiation membrane super-hydrophilicity allowed to suppress pure water permeate flux decline and to reach higher fluxes. Fouled membranes after BSA filtration cleaned using water and UV irradiation. Permeate flux completely recovered after this cleaning. [33]
TiO2 Aeroxide P25 (85% anatase-15% rutile, ~20 nm) NIPS Antibacterial activity against B. Subtilis which was enhanced by incorporating acid/alkali modified titania NPs into the polymer matrix. [34]
TiO2 (20 nm) TiO2/PVDF-HFP membranes prepared via electrospinning The obtained membranes were tested in direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD), showing fluxes higher than those of commercial membranes. [35]
TiO2 PC-101 (Japan Titan Kogyo, anatase type, 20 nm) NIPS Composite polymer electrolyte membranes exhibited excellent ionic conductivity, interfacial and electrochemical stability. [36]
TiO2 synthesized in situ via Ti(OC4H9)4 hydrolysis TiO2/PVDF-HFP membranes produced via NIPS Enhanced porosity, ion conductivity; reduced activation energy for ion transport. [37]
TiO2 (P25 EVONIK Industries) TiO2/PVDF-TrFE and TiO2/zeolites (NaY)/PVDF-TrFE membranes prepared via Evaporation Induced Phase Separation (EIPS) High membrane porosity which promoted MB degradation under UV light irradiation [38]
TiO2 synthesized from tetrabutyl titanate (TBOT) by sol-gel method TiO2/PVDF-TrFE membranes prepared via EIPS The fabricated composite membranes manifested increased permittivity [39]
TiO2 Aeroxide P25 (85% anatase-15% rutile, ~20 nm) TiO2/PVDF-TrFE and TiO2/graphene oxide (GO)/PVDF-TrFE membranes produced by electrospinning The presence of titania and GO improved the photocatalytic efficiency of the nanocomposite membranes towards the degradation of MB [40]