Pervaporation separation of organic azeotrope using poly(dimethyl siloxane)/clay nanocomposite membranes

► PDMS nanocomposites based membranes were prepared using polar and nonpolar nanoclays. ► Morhological studies showed intercalation along with partial exfoliation of nanoclays in PDMS matrix. ► The nanoclay composite membranes exhibited synergistic improvement in the thermal stability inert atmosphere for 10% loss. ► In pervaporation studies, nanocomposite membranes tested showed a decrease in flux with increase in selectivity for methanol/toluene liquid mixtures.