Preparation of polyvinylidene fluoride/modified attapulgite composite ultrafiltration membrane

Some modified attapulgites (ATPs), such as surface modified by amino (-NH₂) or polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) were used to prepare polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/ATP composite ultrafiltration membranes by nonsolvent induced phase separation method. The excellent compatibility between PMMA or amino and PVDF may promote the dispersion of ATP in PVDF. The thermal, mechanical, hydrophilic, and micro-morphology of the composite ultrafiltration membranes were characterized. The results showed that with the addition of the modified ATP, the properties of the membranes, such as mechanical and hydrophilic, were improved. When the content of ATP-g-PMMA was 2%, the overall performance of the PVDF composite membranes was the best.