Influence of TiO 2 on the Chemical, Mechanical, and Gas Separation Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Titanium Dioxide (PVA-TiO 2 ) Nanocomposite Membranes.

PVA/TiO2nanocomposite membranes developed were investigated for chemical, mechanical, and gas separation properties. PVA/TiO2dispersion offers good optical property and less aggregation, as shown by UV-vis photospectroscopy. FT-IR spectra suggest strong interaction between PVA and TiO2. Mechanical properties of the composite membranes were enhanced by the addition of TiO2. Permeation results show that the addition of TiO2up to 20 wt.% increased the selectivity of gas pairs O2/N2,H2/N2,H2/CO2, and CO2/N2by 60%, 55%, 23%, and 26% respectively, with a corresponding decrease in the permeability. At higher loading of TiO2,a reverse trend was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]