Permeation performance of Cellulose acetate propionate/polyvinylidine fluoride blend membranes by phase inversion

In this study, cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were selected to prepare porous-blend membrane by wet phase inversion method. The effect of the CAP and PVDF concentration of the casting solution on membrane morphology structure and thermal stability was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC). The pure water flux by the developed CAP/PVDF blend membrane was also studied and discussed. Results showed that blending CAP with PVDF reduces the relative crystallinity of pure CAP membrane, especially for CAP/PVDF=5/5 (C5P5) membrane. The relative crystallinity of CAP is reduced from 100 % to 9% and results in porous structure. By blending CAP with PVDF, the pure water flux of the membrane can be varied in a wide range of various applications.