Abstract: | Polydimethylsiloxanevi–poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PDMSvi–PVDF) composite membranes were prepared using asymmetric PVDF hollow‐fiber membranes as the substrate where a very thin layer of silicone‐based coating material was deposited via a developed dip coating method. The preparation of the composite membranes under various conditions were investigated. In the optimal coating procedure, homogenous and stable oligo‐PDMSvi coating layers as thin as 1–2 μm were successfully deposited on the surface of PVDF membranes. The developed PDMSvi–PVDF composite membranes were applied for separation of a wide variety of volatile organic compounds (benzene, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, and toluene). The results showed that the PDMSvi–PVDF hollow‐fiber composite membranes that had been developed exhibited very high removal efficiency (>96%) for all the VOCs examined under favorable operating conditions. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006 |