Characterization and Pervaporation Properties of Modified PU Membranes

Abstract

Pervaporation will have broad application prospects in the treatment of phenolic wastewater. Polyurethane (PU) membrane is promising but needs to be further modified. In this study, both β-CD and CNT were used to modify the PU membrane. The structure and property of these membranes were characterized by FTIR, DSC and TGA. The pervaporation performances were investigated, and the effects of β-CD and CNT on membrane separation were discussed. TGA shows that three kinds of modified membranes have enough thermal stability to afford pervaporation test and start weight loss at about 200 °C. In pervaporaiton, the total flux, separation factor and PSI value all increase with increased feed temperature. That is anti-trade-off phenomenon. Among these membranes, HTPB+β-CD-PU shows the best comprehensive performance at 80°C and has great potential for further application.