Structure and Pervaporation Performance of Novel Quaternized Poly(vinyl alcohol)/γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane Hybrid Membranes

Novel hybrid organic inorganic membranes were prepared via sol gel reactions of quaternized poly(vinyl alcohol) (q-PVA) and gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTEOS) for pervaporation dehydration of an 85 wt % ethanol solution. The physicochemical structure of the hybrid membranes was characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TG, and TEM. Nanofractal objects originated from self-assembly of ammonium groups on the q-PVA chains and amino groups in APTEOS can be observed on the surface of the hybrid membranes. When APTEOS/PVA ratio is 5% (wt/wt), the hybrid membrane has specific nervate networks on its surface and exhibits the highest separation factor. The hybrid membranes have better pervaporation performance than pristine q-PVA membrane, and their permeation flux was found to increase linearly with increasing APTEOS content. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1121-1126, 2010