A comparison of the morphology and performance of virgin poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane, and PVDF-composite membranes with low content of two different SiO2 materials [nano-SiO2 (N-SiO2) and mesoporous-SiO2 (M-SiO2) particles] was carried out.The characterization of two kinds of silica composite membrane was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle tests, tensile stress tests, water flux, bovine serum albumin (BSA) retention.The results indicate that N-SiO2/PVDF (P-N) membranes possessed larger average pore size and porosity, which led to higher water flux and a slight decline in BSA retention.On the other hand, M-SiO2/PVDF (P-M) membranes had better mechanical stability and anti-fouling performance with enhanced membrane hydrophilicity and decreased membrane surface roughness.Both of the P-N and P-M membranes exhibited typical asymmetric morphology.