Structure/property relationship of polyvinyl alcohol/dimethoxydimethylsilane composite membrane: Experimental and theoretical studies

A novel mixed matrix composite has been prepared using solution-casting method at different volume concentrations of polyvinyl alcohol; PVA (50, 67, 75 and 80%) and fixed amount of dimethoxydimethylsilane in air atmosphere. The hydrolyzed dimethyldisilanol acts as in-situ cross linker through a wet-out condensation between the hydroxyl moieties of SiOH and PVAOH. Such process improves the mechanical properties of composite membranes as compared to pristine PVA which has been determined as function of varied membrane components to evaluate the structure/property relationships. Furthermore, DFT (B3LYP)/6-31G(d) geometry and frequency computations were carried out for the suggested dimeric PVA structures via 1,3-diol linkage followed by condensation and hydrogen bonding interaction. Vibrational interpretations of composite membranes were proposed based on the computed wavenumbers, Cartesian coordinates displacements for the suggested hydrolyzed products involving the dominant PVA/SiOH/SiOC/SiOSi functional groups compared with those given in literatures. FTIR and EDX provide clear evidences for incorporating silicon to 3D network. Meanwhile, the infrared de-convoluted spectral interpretations ensure 17-30% cross-linked SiOC within the network of composite membranes.