Highly selective sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene)/poly(ether sulfone) blend proton exchange membranes for direct methanol fuel cells

Proton exchange membranes (PEMs) based on blends of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) and sulfonated poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (sPVdF‐co‐HFP) were prepared successfully. Fabricated blend membranes showed favorable PEM characteristics such as reduced methanol permeability, high selectivity, and improved mechanical integrity. Additionally, these membranes afford comparable proton conductivity, good oxidative stability, moderate ion exchange capacity, and reasonable water uptake. To appraise PEM performance, blend membranes were characterized using techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, AC impedance spectroscopy; atomic force microscopy, and thermogravimetry. Addition of hydrophobic PES confines the swelling of the PEM and increases the ultimate tensile strength of the membrane. Proton conductivities of the blend membranes are about 10^?3 S cm^?1. Methanol permeability of 1.22 × 10^?7cm² s^?1 exhibited by the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES10 blend membrane is much lower than that of Nafion‐117. AFM studies divulged that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have nodule like structure, which confirms the presence of hydrophilic domain. The observed results demonstrated that the sPVdF‐co‐HFP/PES blend membranes have promise for possible usage as a PEM in direct methanol fuel cells. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43907.     

Poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐co‐HFP) hollow fiber membranes prepared from PVDF‐co‐HFP/PEG‐600Mw/DMAC solution for membrane distillation

Poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐co‐HFP) hollow fiber membranes were prepared by using the phase inversion method. The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG‐600Mw) with different concentrations (i.e., 0, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 18, and 20 wt %) as a pore former on the preparation and characterization of PVDF‐co‐HFP hollow fibers was investigated. The hollow fiber membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and porosity measurement. It was found that there is no significant effect of the PEG concentration on the dimensions of the hollow fibers, whereas the porosity of the hollow fibers increases with increase of PEG concentration. The cross‐sectional structure changed from a sponge‐like structure of the hollow fiber prepared from pure PVDF‐co‐HFP to a finger‐like structure with small sponge‐like layer in the middle of the cross section with increase of PEG concentration. A remarkable undescribed shape of the nodules with different sizes in the outer surfaces, which are denoted as “twisted rope nodules,” was observed. The mean surface roughness of the hollow fiber membranes decreased with an increase of PEG concentration in the polymer solution. The mean pore size of the hollow fibers gradually increased from 99.12 to 368.91 nm with increase of PEG concentration in polymer solution. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Evaluation of mechanical properties and physical interactions of a ternary blend of poly(ethylene‐co‐octene)/poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate)/poly(vinyl chloride) in the molten state

In this work, ethylene‐co‐vinyl acetate (EVA), poly(ethylene‐co‐octene) (POE), and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) blends were processed in a molten state process using a corotating twin‐screw extruder to assess both the balance of mechanical properties and physical interactions in the melt state. Tensile measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and oscillatory rheometry were performed. By means of flow curves, the parameters of the power law as well as the distribution of relaxation times were assessed with the aid of a nonlinear regularization method. The mechanical properties for the EVA‐POE blend approximated the values for POE, while inclusion of PVC shifted the modulus values to those of neat EVA. The rise in modulus was corroborated by the PVC phase dispersion as solid particles that act as a reinforcement for the ternary blend. The rheological properties in the molten state show that the POE does not present molecular entanglement effects and so tends both to diminish the EVA mechanical properties and increase the fluidity of the blend. However, the addition of PVC both restored the EVA typical pseudoplastic feature and promoted the increase in the viscosity and the mechanical properties of the ternary blend. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Dielectric and conducting behavior of pyrene functionalized PANI/P(VDF‐co‐HFP) blend

Herein, we present the dielectric and electrical conductivity properties of the partially miscible polymer blend prepared using pyrene functionalized polyaniline (pf‐PANI) and poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoro propylene) (PVDF‐co‐HFP). The blend mostly retains the fluorescent nature of pf‐PANI as well as can be moldable and possesses good damping property. The dielectric properties have been investigated as a function of temperature at three different frequencies and the plausible origin of polarization responsible for dielectric behavior in this blend has been identified. The experimental results of dielectric measurements are compared with theoretical models and discussed. The surface morphology of the samples has been examined with a scanning electron microscope. The electrical conductivity has also been studied as a function of temperature and explained in terms of hopping of charge carriers/interconnected networks. The combined dielectric and conductivity results together with scanning electron microscope micrographs, reveal that there is hindrance to achieve percolation threshold even after pf‐PANI addition of 57 vol % and subsequent thermal treatment. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44077.     

Fabrication of co‐continuous poly(ε‐caprolactone)/polyglycolide blend scaffolds for tissue engineering

The apparent inability of a single biomaterial to meet all the requirements for tissue engineering scaffolds has led to continual research in novel engineered biomaterials. One method to provide new materials and fine‐tune their properties is via mixing materials. In this study, a biodegradable powder blend of poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), polyglycolide (PGA), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was prepared and three‐dimensional interconnected porous PCL/PGA scaffolds were fabricated by combining cryomilling and compression molding/polymer leaching techniques. The resultant porous scaffolds exhibited co‐continuous morphologies with ～50% porosity. Mean pore sizes of 24 and 56 μm were achieved by varying milling time. The scaffolds displayed high mechanical properties and water uptake, in addition to a remarkably fast degradation rate. The results demonstrate the potential of this fabrication approach to obtain PCL/PGA blend scaffolds with interconnected porosity. In general, these results provide significant insight into an approach that will lead to the development of new composites and blends in scaffold manufacturing. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42471.     

Zwitterionic‐polymer‐functionalized poly(vinyl alcohol‐co‐ethylene) nanofiber membrane for resistance to the adsorption of bacteria and protein

A zwitterionic poly(vinyl alcohol‐co‐ethylene) (PVA‐co‐PE) nanofiber membrane for resistance to bacteria and protein adsorption was fabricated by the atom transfer radical polymerization of sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA). The PVA‐co‐PE nanofiber membrane was first surface‐activated by α‐bromoisobutyryl bromide, and then, zwitterionic SBMA was initiated to polymerize onto the surface of nanofiber membrane. The chemical structures of the functionalized PVA‐co‐PE nanofiber membranes were confirmed by attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The morphologies of the PVA‐co‐PE nanofiber membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) was successfully grafted onto the PVA‐co‐PE nanofiber membrane, and the surface of the nanofiber membrane was more hydrophilic than that of the pristine membrane. Furthermore, the antibacterial adsorption properties and resistance to protein adsorption of the surface were investigated. This indicated that the PSBMA‐functionalized surface possessed good antibacterial adsorption activity and resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption. Therefore, this study afforded a convenient and promising method for preparing a new kind of soft and nonwoven dressing material with antibacterial adsorption and antifouling properties that has potential use in the medical field. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44169.     

High performance electrospun PVdF‐HFP/SiO2 nanocomposite membrane electrolyte for Li‐ion capacitors

Electrospun poly[(vinylidene fluoride)‐co ‐hexafluoropropylene]/silica (PVdF‐HFP/SiO₂) nanocomposite polymer membranes (esCPMs) were prepared by incorporating different weight percentages of SiO₂ nanoparticles onto electrospun PVdF‐HFP by electrospinning technique. The surface morphology of electrospun PVdF‐HFP nanocomposite membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The effect of SiO₂ nanoparticles incorporation onto electrospun PVdF‐HFP polymer membranes (esPMs) has been studied by XRD, DSC, TGA, and tensile analysis. The electrospun PVdF‐HFP/SiO₂ based nanocomposite membrane electrolytes (esCPMEs) were prepared by soaking the corresponding esCPMs into 1 M LiPF₆ in EC:DMC (1:1 vol/vol %). The ionic conductivity of the esCPMEs was studied by AC‐impedance studies and it was found that the incorporation of SiO₂ nanoparticles into PVdF‐HFP membrane has improved the ionic conductivity from 1.320 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 to 2.259 × 10^?3 S cm^?1. The electrochemical stability of the esCPME was studied by linear sweep voltammetry studies and it was found to be 2.87 V. Finally, a prototype LiCo_0.2Mn_1.8O₄//C Li‐ion capacitor (LIC) cell was fabricated with esCPME, which delivered a discharge capacitance of 128 F g^?1 at the current density of 1 A g^?1 and retained 86% of its discharge capacitance even after 10,000 cycles. These results demonstrated that the esCPMEs could be used as promising polymer membrane electrolyte for LICs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45177.     

A highly selective polybenzimidazole‐4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid) membrane for high‐temperature hydrogen separation

A polymeric gas separation membrane utilizing polybenzimidazole based on 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)bis(benzoic acid) was prepared. The synthesized membrane has an effective permeating area of 8.3 cm² and a thickness of 30 ± 2 µm. Gas permeation properties of the membrane were determined using H₂, CO₂, CO, and N₂ at temperatures ranging from 24°C to 200°C. The PBI‐HFA membranes not only exhibited excellent H₂ permeability, but it also displayed superior gas separation performance particularly for H₂/N₂ and H₂/CO₂. The permeation parameters for both permeability and selectivity [ and α(H₂/N₂); and α(H₂/CO₂)] obtained for the new material were found to be dependent on trans‐membrane pressure difference as well as temperature, and were found to surpass those reported by Robeson in 2008. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42371.     

Preparation and characterizations of direct methanol fuel cell membrane from sulfonated polystyrene/poly(vinylidene fluoride) blend compatibilized with poly(styrene)‐b‐poly(methyl methacrytlate) block copolymer

This work concerned a development of sulfonated polystyrene (SPS)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blend membrane for use as an electrolyte in a direct methanol fuel cell. The aim of this work was to investigate effects of the blend ratio on properties of the blend membranes. The partially SPS with various degrees of substitution were prepared by using propionyl sulfate as a sulfonating agent. After that, the optimum SPS was selected for further blending with PVDF, at various blend ratios. Poly(styrene)–poly(methyl methacrytlate) block copolymer (PS‐b‐PMMA), used as a compatibilizer, was synthesized via a controlled radical polymerization through the use of an iniferter. Thermal behaviors, water uptake, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of various blend membranes were determine by using TGA, gravimetry, impedance analyzer, and gas chromatography, respectively. From the results, it was found that, water uptake and methanol permeability of the blend membranes tended to increase with the weight ratio of SPS. It was also found that the blend membranes were incompatible, especially those containing more than 40 wt % of the SPS. However, by adding 5 wt % of the block copolymer, the blend became more compatible. Mechanical strength, proton conductivity, and resistance to methanol crossover of the blend membrane remarkably increased after the compatibilization. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

The influence of solvent properties on the performance of polysulfone/β‐cyclodextrin polyurethane mixed‐matrix membranes

This study investigates the effect of solvent properties on the structural morphology and permeation properties of polysulfone/β‐cyclodextrin polyurethane (PSf/β‐CDPU) mixed‐matrix membranes (MMMs). The membranes were prepared by a modified phase‐inversion route using four different casting solvents [dimethyl formamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethyl acetamide (DMA), and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP)]. While DMSO‐based membranes demonstrated particularly high permeability (ca 147 L/m²h.bar), their crystallinity was low compared to MMMs prepared using DMA, DMF and NMP due to the formation of thin active layers on their surfaces. Cross‐sectional morphology revealed that the MMMs have a dense top skin with finger‐like inner pore structures. Membranes prepared using NMP displayed the highest hydrophilicity, porosity, and crystallinity due to the low volatility of NMP; DMF membranes exhibited superior mechanical and thermal stability due to its (DMF) high hydrogen bonding (δH) values. Thus, the morphological parameters, bulk porosity, and flux performance of MMMs have a significant inter‐relationship with the solubility properties of each solvent (i.e., δH, density, volatility, solubility parameter). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 2005–2014, 2013     

Solution blown sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)/poly(ether sulfone) nanofiber‐Nafion composite membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

A composite membrane of sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES)/poly(ether sulfone) (PES) nanofiber (NF) mat impregnated with Nafion was prepared and evaluated for its potential use as a proton conductor for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The supporting composite nanofibrous mat was prepared by solution blowing of a mixture of SPES/PES solution. The characteristics of the SPES/PES NF and the composite membrane, such as morphology, thermal stability, and performance of membrane as PEMs, were investigated. The performance of composite membranes was compared with that of Nafion117. The introduction of solution blown NFs to composite membranes modestly improved proton conductivity, water swelling, and methanol permeability. Therefore, composite membrane containing SPES/PES NFs can be considered as a novel PEM for fuel cell applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42572.     

Sulfonated graphene oxide‐doped proton conductive membranes based on polymer blends of highly sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and sulfonated polybenzimidazole

Simultaneously improving the proton conductivity and mechanical properties of a polymer electrolyte membrane is a considerable challenge in commercializing proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In response, we prepared a new series of miscible polymer blends and thus the corresponding crosslinked membranes based on highly sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and sulfonated polybenzimidazole. The blended membranes showed more compact structures, due to the acid‐base interactions between the two constituents, and improved mechanical and morphological properties. Further efforts by doping sulfonated graphene oxide (s‐GO) forming composite membranes led to not only significantly elevated proton conductivity and electrochemical performance, but also better mechanical properties. Notably, the composite membrane with the filler content of 15 wt % exhibited a proton conductivity of 0.217 S cm^?1 at 80 °C, and its maximum power density tested by the H₂/air single PEMFC cell at room temperature reached 171 mW cm^?2, almost two and half folds compared with that of the native membrane. As a result, these polymeric membranes provided new options as proton exchange membranes for fuel‐cell applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46547.     

Bio‐nanocomposite films based on cellulose nanocrystals filled polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan polymer blend

Bio‐nanocomposite films based on polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan (PVA/CS) polymeric blend and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were prepared by casting a homogenous and stable aqueous mixture of the three components. CNC used as nanoreinforcing agents were extracted at the nanometric scale from sugarcane bagasse via sulfuric acid hydrolysis; then they were characterized and successfully dispersed into a PVA/CS (50/50, w/w) blend to produce PVA/CS–CNC bio‐nanocomposite films at different CNC contents (0.5, 2.5, 5 wt %). Viscosity measurement of the film‐forming solutions and structural and morphological characterizations of the solid films showed that the CNC are well dispersed into PVA/CS blend forming strong interfacial interactions that provide an enhanced load transfer between polymer chains and CNC, thus improving their properties. The obtained bio‐nanocomposite films are mechanically strong and exhibit improved thermal properties. The addition of 5 wt % CNC within a PVA/CS blend increased the Young's modulus by 105%, the tensile strength by 77%, and the toughness by 68%. Herein, the utilization of Moroccan sugarcane bagasse as raw material to produce high quality CNC has been explored. Additionally, the ability of the as‐isolated CNC to reinforce polymer blends was studied, resulting in the production of the aforementioned bio‐nanocomposite films with improved properties. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42004.     

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated polyetherimide/polyetherimide blend membranes

Polyetherimide (PEI) was sulfonated by chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) in 1,2‐dichloroethane for the first time. With the increase of the CSA/PEI repeat unit ratio and/or reaction time, the ion‐exchange capacity (IEC) of the sulfonated polyetherimide (SPEI) increased accordingly. Water‐uptake testing and contact‐angle measurement showed that the hydrophilicity of the SPEI increases with the increase of the IEC. Membranes were fabricated from SPEI/PEI blends with different ratios. The morphologies of the blend membranes were examined by scanning electron microscopy, which showed that the membrane pore size is larger when SPEI with higher IEC was used. With the increase of SPEI ratio in the blend membranes, the membrane pore size also increased. The contact‐angle data of the membranes showed that the hydrophilicity of the blend membrane was elevated because of the sulfonate group on the SPEI molecular backbone. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1709–1715, 2004     

Ion‐exchange membrane based on poly(styrene sulfonic acid‐co‐n‐(2‐hydroxyethyl) acrylamide)

A new ion‐exchange membrane was prepared by blending a copolymer of poly(styrene sulfonic acid‐co‐N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl) acrylamide) with poly(vinylidene fluoride). The dissolution of the copolymer into water was prevented by the crosslinked network formed by condensation reaction between N‐(2‐hydoroxyethyl) acrylamide (HEAA) units. The reaction was caused after film‐forming the blend. Swellability in water, ion‐exchange capacity, ion conductivity, and mechanical properties of the membrane were investigated and compared with those of a well‐known ion‐exchange membrane, Nafion 117. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2788–2796, 2007     

Preparation,characterization, and applicability of novel calix[4]arene‐based cellulose acetate membranes in gas permeation

Cellulose acetate (CA) is well known glassy polymer used in the fabrication of gas‐separation membranes. In this study, 5,11,17,23‐tetrakis(N‐morpholinomethyl)‐25,26,27,28‐tetrahydroxycalix[4]arene (CL) was blended with CA to study the gas‐permeation behavior for CO₂, N₂, and CH₄ gases. We prepared the pure CA and CA/CL blended membranes by following a diffusion‐induced phase‐separation method. Three different concentrations of CL (3, 10, and 30 wt %) were selected for membrane preparation. The CA/CL blended membranes were then characterized via Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The homogeneous blending of CL and CA was confirmed in the CA/CL blended membranes by both SEM and AFM analysis. In addition to this, the surface roughness of the CA/CL blended membranes also increased with increasing CL concentration. FTIR analysis described the structural modification in the CA polymer after it was blended with CL too. Furthermore, CL improved the tensile strength of the CA membrane appreciably from 0.160 to 1.28 MPa, but this trend was not linear with the increase in the CL concentration. CO₂, CH₄, and N₂ gases were used for gas‐permeation experiments at 4 bars. With the permeation experiments, we concluded that permeability of N₂ was higher in comparison to those of CO₂ and CH₄ through the CA/CL blended membranes. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 39985.     

Imidazole/(HPO3)3‐doped sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) composite membrane for fuel cells

A novel gel of imidazole/(HPO₃)₃ was synthesized and incorporated into sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) to fabricate composite proton exchange membranes. The composite membranes were characterized by alternating current impedance (AC), thermogravimetry (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mechanical property test. Based on the electrochemical performance investigation, the proton conductivity of the membrane is intimately correlated with the temperature and the mass ratio of imidazole/(HPO₃)₃ in the composite. The SPEEK/imidazole/(HPO₃)₃?4 composite membrane (with 44.4 wt % of imidazole/(HPO₃)₃) has the optimized performance at 135°C. Mover, the strength of the composite membranes is almost comparable to that of Nafion membrane. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41946.     

Fabrication and properties of PVDF and PVDF‐HFP microfiltration membranes

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and poly(vinylidene fluoride)‐co‐hexafluoropropylene (PVDF‐HFP) were used to fabricate porous microfiltration membranes via a thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method, and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was used as diluent. The effects of polymer concentration on structure and performance were studied in detail. In addition, the effect of incorporation of hexafluoropropylene (HFP) groups on the membrane was also investigated. The formation mechanism was proposed with the assistance of a phase diagram. The results showed that the incorporation of HFP groups resulted in a lower crystallization temperature (T_c) of the polymer/DBP system. In addition, the porosity, pure water flux, and ink solution flux decreased with increasing polymer concentration. In contrast, the water contact angle, ink rejection ratio, and mechanical properties had an increasing tendency. When the polymer concentration was 30 wt %, the obtained membrane was most suitable for microfiltration. Furthermore, the incorporation of HFP groups improved the properties of the obtained membrane, including better hydrophobicity, mechanical properties, antifouling property, and chemical resistance. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46711.     

Characteristics of PVdF‐HFP/TiO2 Composite Electrolytes Prepared by a Phase Inversion Technique Using Dimethyl Acetamide Solvent and Water Non‐Solvent

Summary: Highly porous poly[(vinylidene fluoride)‐co‐hexafluoropropylene] (PVdF‐HFP)/TiO₂ membranes were prepared by a phase inversion technique, using dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) as a solvent and water as a non‐solvent. Their physical and electrochemical properties were then characterized in terms of thermal and crystalline behavior, as well as ionic conductivity after absorbing an electrolyte solution of 1 M LiPF₆ dissolved in an equal weight mixture of ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). For comparison, cast films and their electrolytes were also made by a conventional casting method without using the water non‐solvent. In contrast to the case of using N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent, the PVdF‐HFP/TiO₂ composite electrolytes, obtained using DMAc, exhibited superior properties of electrochemical stability and interfacial resistance with a lithium electrode but had lower ionic conductivities. It was also demonstrated that the phase inversion membrane was more effective than the cast film as the polymer electrolyte of a lithium rechargeable battery. As a result, a phase inversion membrane with 50 wt.‐% TiO₂ was demonstrated to be the optimal choice for application in a lithium rechargeable battery.

Time evolutions of interfacial resistance between polymer electrolyte and lithium electrodes.     

Preparation of PVDF/poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) blend membranes with antifouling propensities via nonsolvent induced phase separation method

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) was blended with a new amphiphilic copolymer, poly(tetrafluoroethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) [poly(TFE‐VA)], via non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method to make membranes with superior antifouling properties. The effects of the VA/TFE segment ratio of the copolymer and the copolymer/PVDF blend ratio on the properties of the prepared membranes were studied. Membranes with similar water permeabilities, surface pore sizes, and rejection properties were prepared and used in bovine serum albumin (BSA) filtrations with the same initial water flux and almost the same operating pressure, to evaluate the sole effect of membrane material on fouling propensity. While the VA/TFE segment ratio strongly affected the membrane antifouling properties, the effects of the copolymer/PVDF blending ratio were not so drastic. Membrane surface hydrophilicity increased, and BSA adsorption and fouling decreased upon blending a small amount of amphiphilic copolymer with a high VA/TFE segment ratio with PVDF (copolymer/PVDF blending ratio 1:5). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43780.