Development and characterization of polyvinyl chloride-graphite membrane

Abstract

Graphite dispersed polyvinyl chloride membrane has been prepared by scalable solution blending technique in different compositions. The obtained composite has been characterized by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and microscopic techniques. Results reveal the formation of intercalated composite with improved properties like solvent retaining capacity, porosity, swelling capacity, hardness, and tensile strength. Further, ion exchange ability has been determined by ASTM method and observed values are in range 10^-1 (meq/g), which is comparable to industrial membrane and indicate its suitability for commercial application. Further, durability and mechanical strength is studied and compared with standard membrane, which reveals compatible to the commercially available membrane and confirms suitability for technical applications.