Abstract
The present investigation deals with the preparation of a new organic–inorganic hybrid membrane based on cellulose acetate (CA)/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) by the sol–gel and phase-inversion process. This paper also investigates the effect of TEOS content on the mechanical, thermal, and ultrafiltration (UF) performance of the newly prepared membranes. These newly prepared membranes were characterised by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ultrafiltration performance of the membranes was examined by water content (%), compaction, and pure water flux. Results showed that the addition of TEOS increased the thermal and mechanical properties. SEM results showed that the pore size decreased but the number of pores increased on the addition of TEOS. Moreover, the hydrophilicity and permeability increased with increase in TEOS content from 0 to 2 wt%. Thus, it can be concluded that these hybrid membranes may be suitable for use in the UF separation process.