Poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) brushes were grafted onto microporous polysulfone (PSF) membranes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) and then immobilized copper (II) ions on the modified membrane. Copper-loaded membranes exhibited excellent antibacterial properties with the added advantage of repeated use. The chemical composition and surface morphology of the functionalized membrane was characterized by ATR-FTIR, XPS, SEM, and AFM. The results showed that P4VP brushes clustered to rod-shaped covering and the sub-layer of membrane maintained sponge-like structures at the same time. Additionally, the kinetic study of SI-ATRP reaction revealed that the chain length of P4VP brushes increased linearly as the polymerization time increased. The antibacterial effects of copper-loaded CMPSF-g-P4VP membrane against Escherichia coli were examined and the antibacterial efficiency reached 100% when 2.49 wt.% of copper (II) ions was immobilized on membrane. The presented results could serve as a good starting point for the fabrication of antibacterial CMPSF membranes for waste-water treatment applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.