A well-defined crystalline structure of zeolite-Y, having particles size in the range from 100 to 270nm, was prepared using hydrothermal method.
The obtained zeolite was further used to fabricate polyamide-6/zeolite-Y (PA6/ZY) hybrid membranes. The addition of ZY modified the smooth surface of PA6 membrane, and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of PA6/ZY became rough with increasing porosity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed an exfoliated structure of the hybrid membranes. Moreover, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of PA6/ZY membranes indicated the presence of some interaction between the PA6 and ZY, which was manifested itself by the slight increase in the intensity of PA6 bands after the addition of ZY.
The results indicated that the tensile strength and failure strain decreased linearly with the increase of ZY content in the hybrid membranes. On the other hand, porosity and bubble point pore diameter increased gradually and reached a maximum when 4% ZY was added. It was concluded that 4%w loading of ZY in the hybrid membranes gave a balance of desirable properties and the hybrid membrane could be considered promising for water separation technology.