Gas Permeability of ENR/PVC Membrane with the Addition of Inorganic Fillers.

Epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) was blended with polyvinyl chloride to form a flexible and porous membrane. SiO2 and MgO were added into the membrane for pore formation and the effects of the addition was investigated by means of FTIR, TGA, SEM, EDX and gas permeability towards CO2 and N2 gases. FTIR result showed the presence of Si-O-Si asymmetric stretching at the absorption peak of 467 cm-1 for ENR/PVC/SiO2 membrane and MgO signature peak at 3700 cm-1 for ENR/PVC/MgO membrane. Thermal analysis showed that the thermal stability of ENR/PVC membrane increased with the addition of fillers. Morphological studies prove that subsequently, the pores in the membranes increased showing that some of the added fillers were drawn towards the water leaving empty spaces and tracks. The remaining fillers are homogenously distributed on the surface of the membranes. CO2 and N2 gas permeability increased with increasing filler content and the permeability of ENR/PVC/SiO2 membranes towards CO2 and N2 gasses was higher than ENR/PVC/MgO membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]