Preparation and characterizations of a new PS/TiO2 hybrid membranes by sol-gel process

New organic-inorganic hybrids based on PS/TiO2 hybrid membranes were prepared by sol-gel and phase inversion process. The membranes were characterized in terms of morphology, structure, hydrophlicity, UF performance and thermal stability. The results showed that macrovoids were nearly suppressed with formation of a sponge like membrane structure. The TiO2 particles were uniformly dispersed in membrane. The nanodispersed inorganic network formed after sol-gel process and the strong interaction between inorganic network and polymeric chains led to the improvement of porosity and thermal stability. In particular hydrophilicity and permeability increased drastically with the increasing of TiO2 content in the range of 0-9.3 wt%, without changing retention properties of membrane. However, high-TiO2 concentration induces nanoparticles aggregate, resulting in the decline of hydrophilicity and permeability. Thus, PS/TiO2 hybrid membranes with proper TiO2 content are desirable to meet some specific requirements in industrial separation.