Characterization of polymer inclusion membrane containing Aliquat 336 as a carrier

Abstract

The presented research is about characterization of Cellulose Triacetate (CTA) based Polymer Inclusion Membranes (PIMs) which incorporated the commercial extractant Aliquat 336, Tributylphosphate (TBP) as modifier and 2-Nitro Phenyl Pentyl Ether (NPPE) as plasticizer, for the preparation of the membranes. Chemical and physical characteristics of the synthesized membranes especially membrane thickness and side difference effects were investigated. Different surface structures and membrane thickness affect the extraction efficiency of membranes. Membrane extraction experiments were studied where the glass-facing surface of the membranes placed next to feed phase and the air-facing surface to stripping phase. The membrane was characterized by means of AFM, FT-IR and SEM.