Abstract
In this paper, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) nanocomposite membranes were fabricated with different content ratios of magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) (0-10 wt %), using phase inversion method to improve the PVC membrane performance and its physicochemical properties. Membranes were characterized by different techniques including Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, contact angle measurements and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of the exfoliated structure. Thermal gravimetric analysis studies suggested better thermal stability after the addition of MNPs. The experimental performance results demonstrated an enhancement of water flux, solute rejection, and antifouling properties up to a loading of 10% MNPs. In particular, the composite membrane of 6% MNPs exhibited an optimum performance of around 55% improvement in water flux. Moreover, it demonstrated an improvement of around 40% in salt rejection for NaCl, LiCl, and MgSO4 and around 37% for Na2SO4, compared to the pure PVC membrane. Furthermore, it illustrated a flux recovery ratio of around 89%, representing the highest improvement with 22% improvement compared to the pure PVC.