Synthesis an‎d Modification of a Silicon-Based Nanocomposite Membrane for the Separation of Furfural from Water via Pervaporation

11/26/2026 12:00:00 AM

Abstract In this study, silicon-based nanocomposite membranes were fabricated an‎d modified to separate the organic compound furfural from an aqueous solution via pervaporation. For this purpose, polymers with a silicon-based structure but different molecular weights were used to investigate the effect of polymer structure an‎d molecular weight on membrane performance. The fabrication process an‎d pervaporation tests were conducted on a laboratory scale. The prepared membranes were characterized using various techniques, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling degree (SD), contact angle (CA) measurement, as well as permeability an‎d selec‎tivity tests using a pervaporation setup. Among the pure fabricated membranes (without nanoparticles), the best performance was observed for the base membrane with the lowest molecular weight (Structure B resin with a molecular weight of 54 an‎d Structure A with a molecular weight of 2583), which exhibited a separation factor of 27 an‎d a flux of 6313 grams per square meter per hour (g/m²h). Furthermore, the nanocomposite membrane prepared from these resins with 7.5% surface-modified silica nanoparticles showed a significant improvement in separation performance, increasing the separation factor to 47 an‎d achieving a flux of 5863 g/m²h. This comparison clearly demonstrates the positive effect of nanoparticle incorporation on enhancing membrane efficiency. The results indicated that as the polymer molecular weight increases, the polymer chain length also increases, resulting in a reduction of free volume within the membrane structure. This phenomenon decreases the number of polymer chain ends per unit volume, which directly affects permeability an‎d ultimately leads to a decrease in permeability an‎d flux through the membrane, alongside an increase in the separation factor.

پلي سيلوكسان , تراوش تبخيري , غشا پليمري , اصلاح غشا , نانوسيليكا

Polysiloxane , Pervaporation , Polymeric Membrane , Membrane Modification , Nanosilica

Milad Nouri

Hasan Farrokhzad