Preparation of PVC/PVP composite polymer membranes via phase inversion process for water treatment purposes

In this work, new composite membranes were successfully prepared via phase inversion technique using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as polymers and tetrahydrofuran (THF) and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvents. The prepared membranes have been characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The scanning electron microscope results prove that the prepared membranes are smooth and their pores are distributed throughout the whole surface and bulk body of the membrane without any visible cracks. The stress-strain mechanical test showed an excellent mechanical behavior enhanced by the presence of PVP in the prepared membranes. The membranes performance results showed that the salt rejection reached 98% with a high flux. This, in turn, makes the prepared membranes can be applied for sea and brackish water treatment through membrane distillation technology. (C) 2017 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.