UV-cured polyvinyl alcohol-MXene mixed matrix membranes for enhancing pervaporation performance in dehydration of ethanol

In this study, Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets were synthesized and loaded into UV-curable acrylate polyvinyl alcohol (APVA) to fabricate a novel APVA-MXene mixed matrix membrane (MMM) for ethanol dehydration by pervaporation (PV) process. UV-curable APVA was synthesized by substituting the hydroxyl groups of PVA with the methacryloyl groups of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). A rapid and energy-efficient method for fabricating the active layer was achieved by UV-crosslinking of APVA over a 2-min period. The morphology, crystal structure, chemical composition, and thermo-mechanical properties of the membranes were investigated by FESEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, and static mechanical stretching. Incorporating MXene nanosheets into the APVA matrix resulted in an increase in permeation flux and separation factor for APVA-MXene MMMs due to its laminated structure with interlayer transport channels of two dimensions, excellent compatibility with the polymer matrix, and high surface hydrophilicity. When the MXene loading reached 3 wt%, the optimal separation performance was achieved with a permeation flux of 942 g/(m(2).h) (increased by 106% compared to pristine APVA membranes) and a separation factor of 294 (increased by 79% compared to pristine APVA membranes).