Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) nanofibers were fabricated by combined electrospinning and selective removal of poly(ethylene oxide) PEO from a PVDF/(PEO)/water (H2O) composite. The method involved varying the concentration of PEO and H2O with respect to PVDF and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) respectively. The morphology and other properties of the nanofibers were characterized by SEM, FT-IR, UTM, CFP and AFM and showed improved properties that can be effectively utilized as a pre-filter for pretreatment of oil-in-water emulsion filtration. The as-electrospun PVDF nanofiber films exhibited high flux rate, higher porosity, high Young's modulus and tensile strength, and high surface roughness. Results showed that the nanofiber films can achieve a flux rate of 1172 Lm(-2) h(-1) with 96% filtration efficiency at a pressure as low as 0.2 bar in an oil-in-water emulsion system. The results indicate that these electrospun PVDF nanofiber films with high intra-pores can be used as a pre-filter in membrane filtration to reduce fouling on membranes. This will aid in cutting down cost since frequent cleaning of membranes shortens the membrane life span. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.