Poly(vinyl chloride) Asymmetric Membrane Modified with Poly (ethylene glycol): Effect of Additive Concentration on the Morphology and Performance

Asymmetric membranes of polyvinyl chloride modified with polyethylene glycol as pore former have been prepared by nonsolvent-induced phase separation method using N,N-dimethylacetamide/water as solvent/nonsolvent system. The phase diagram of polyvinyl chloride/polyethylene glycol/N,N-dimethylacetamide/water system showed that polyethylene glycol favors the demixing process. The prepared membrane is characterized by scanning electron microscopy, ATR-FTIR, equilibrium water content, porosity, pure water flux, and contact angle. The addition of polyethylene glycol favored the formation of finger-like structure of polyvinyl chloride membrane initially, and at higher polyethylene glycol concentration, a spongy structure is obtained. The prepared membrane possesses high water flux, excellent thermal stability, and sufficient mechanical strength suitable for ultrafiltration operation.