The potential toxicity of trace
organic contaminants such as trihalomethanes in water has driven the
development of techniques for their removal from potable water. In
pervaporation, an emerging technology, contaminants selectively pass through a
dense membrane and into a vapor phase. In this research, novel membranes were
prepared by modifying a commercial poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film with a vinyl
organosilane, (g‑methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane,
MPTS). The influence of the synthesis route on the membrane structure,
properties and pervaporation performance was studied. The membranes were
characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear
magnetic resonance (NMR), thermal analysis, gel content determination, scanning
electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The membranes’
interaction with liquids and their performance in the batch pervaporation of
haloorganics from water were studied. Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks
(semi-IPN) were synthesized when an initiator was used to promote the vinyl
reaction before extensive hydrolysis and condensation took place. When there
was no initiator, the hydrolysis and condensation were more extensive, yielding
a phase separated morphology. The MPTS-modified PVC membranes were more
resistant to haloorganics and exhibited better performance in batch
pervaporation Than did PVC. The membranes with the phase separated structure
exhibited higher permeabilities and selectivities than the semi-IPN membranes.
