Characterization of Chitosan-poly (Ethylene Oxide) Blends as Haemodialysis Membrane

Blend membranes of chitosan and poly (ethylene oxide) with different molecular weights of 100,000 and 600,000 were prepared by the solution cast technique. The Chitosan-PEO blend membranes were produced to study their water adsorptions capacity and characteristics of the haemodialysis membrane application. An increase in the water adsorption capacity of chitosan-PEO blend membranes compared to the pure chitosan was due to the porous structure as evident from the scanning electron micrograph. Addition of PEO with higher molecular weight had reduced the percentage of water adsorption of the chitosan-PEO blend membranes. XRD results revealed that chitosan-PEO blend membrane with higher water adsorption ability shows lesser degree of amorphosity. Intermolecular interactions between chitosan and higher molecular PEO chains in the blend contributed to important alteration in chitosan structure as observed in the infrared spectroscopy which lessens the permeability of the membrane.