Recent Advanced Technologies in the Processing of Hybrid Reinforced Polymers for Applications of Membranes

Abstract

This review presents a comprehensive introduction to recent advances in the field of blends of the natural and synthetic polymers as new material for biodegradable membranes. These materials and several blends have attracted industrial attention because they exhibit improvements in properties which are required in membrane technology. In the current review, the structure, preparation coating method and properties of the blends of natural and man-made polymer are discussed. We focus on the applications of blend materials for membrane technology like fuel cells, membrane electrolytes and ultrafiltration membranes for water treatment. From the literature, it is found that the most common natural polymers: collagen, chitosan, chitin, cellulose, starch and poly(lactic acid) are used as components of blends with man-made polymers. We have also studied the introduction of nano-fibrous and nano-particles to improve the mechanical properties of these membranes.