Chitosan/PVA Nanofibers and Membranes: Preparation, Characterization, and Potential Applications

Yousef, N. S.; Shokry, F.; Elkhatib, Mostafa

doi:10.21608/pserj.2023.228866.1255

Chitosan/PVA Nanofibers and Membranes: Preparation, Characterization, and Potential Applications

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Canal El Mahmoudeya St. Semouha, Alexandria, Egypt.

² Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Port Said University, Port Said, Egypt

³ Pharos University in Alexandria, Alexandria 21526

10.21608/pserj.2023.228866.1255

Abstract

Biopolymer chitosan has several desirable properties, including its abundance in nature, low cost, adaptable structure, diverse functional groups, high adsorption capacity, biocompatibility, and lack of environmental impact. It may be processed into many different forms, all of which exhibit numerous features linked to membranes, and ranks as the second most common biopolymer. Chitosan is made from recycled mussel shells. Two different membranes are compared to the Chitosan/Poly vinyl alcohol (CS/PVA) electrospun nano fibers that they create. Electrospinning was utilized to make nanofibers of CS/PVA. Two distinct types of Chitosan/PVA membrane were produced: one by blending chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol at a vol/vol ratio of 50/50, and the other by grafting PVA and Chitosan onto a CA-RO membrane. Heavy metal removal and desalination performance of both membranes were assessed. The crystallinity of the membrane and its structural properties was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Electrospun fibers were found to be nanosized in scanning electron micrographs. Unlike the composite, which appeared smooth and homogenous in SEM micrographs, the CS/PVA membrane's surface is similar to that of fibers. When the composite membrane was cut in half, several grafted pores became visible.

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