Preparation and properties of 4-aminobenzoic acid-modified polyvinyl chloride/titanium dioxide and PVC/TiO ₂ based nanocomposites membranes

In this work, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and 4-aminobenzoic acid (4ABA) modified PVC and titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ) nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending method. TiO ₂ was added to PVC (0.5 g) at 0.01, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.1 g. PVC matrix was modified using 4-aminobenzoic acid (4ABA). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to confirm the modification of PVC with 4ABA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images depicted homogeneous morphology of modified PVC/TiO ₂ nanocomposites. XRD results confirmed the formation of PVC/TiO ₂ nanocomposites. Moreover, the thermal decomposition temperature T10 (10 Wt. % weight loss) of non-modified PVC was 189°C however, modified PVC nanocomposites membranes had 196°C with similar TiO ₂ content. Furthermore, modified PVC-TiO ₂ with 0.05 g loading showed homogenous morphology with higher hydrophilicity as determined by porosity, solvent content, and shrinkage ratio. Modified PVC/TiO ₂ membrane with a lower contact angle (32°) could be used for water purification purposes. These studies suggest that optimum modifier concentration improved the interaction between PVC and TiO ₂ .