In this study, we successfully prepared nine non-woven, supported polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes, using a phase inversion precipitation method, starting from a 15 wt % PVDF solution in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. Various membrane morphologies were obtained by using (1) PVDF polymers, with diverse molecular weights ranging from 300 to 700 kDa, and (2) different temperature coagulation baths (20, 40, and 60 ± 2 °C) used for the film precipitation. An environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) was used for surface and cross-section morphology characterization. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was employed to investigate surface roughness, while a contact angle (CA) instrument was used for membrane hydrophobicity studies. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results show that the fabricated membranes are formed by a mixture of TGTG’ chains, in α phase crystalline domains, and all-TTTT trans planar zigzag chains characteristic to β phase. Moreover, generated results indicate that the phases’ content and membrane morphologies depend on the polymer molecular weight and conditions used for the membranes’ preparation. The diversity of fabricated membranes could be applied by the End User Industries for different applications.

Constant development of novel materials and their characterization is a highly important matter nowadays. Optical contact angle measuring system is a very versatile tool among the surface characterization techniques. The main application of the technique is determination of hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity and wetting properties of materials. Current generation machines are fully automatized with a number of complements for temperature and pressure control, nanoliter drop generation, etc. Besides commenting on the current state of the art of the equipment, their capabilities and costs, this review includes some practical tips on the execution of the technique and data analysis.