Influence of TiO_2 on the Chemical, Mechanical, and Gas Separation Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Titanium Dioxide (PVA-TiO_2) Nanocomposite Membranes

摘要

PVA/TiO_2 nanocomposite membranes developed were investigated for chemical, mechanical, and gas separation properties. PVA/TiO_2 dispersion offers good optical property and less aggregation, as shown by UV-vis photospectroscopy. FT-IR spectra suggest strong interaction between PVA and TiO_2. Mechanical properties of the composite membranes were enhanced by the addition of TiO_2. Permeation results show that the addition of TiO_2 up to 20 wt.% increased the selectivity of gas pairs O_2/N_2, H_2/N_2, H_2/CO_2, and CO_2/N_2 by 60%, 55%, 23%, and 26% respectively, with a corresponding decrease in the permeability. At higher loading of TiO_2, a reverse trend was observed.