Blended cellulose/chitin membranes prepared by co-solvent method for pervaporation of water-butanol solutions

Blended cellulose/chitin membranes with various mixing ratios were successfully prepared by a co-solvent method from cellulose carbamate (CC) and chitin (CT) in an alkali/urea aqueous system. The blended solutions were characterized by rheological measurements. Blending CT with CC effectively enhanced the thermal stability of the as-obtained CT solution. The prepared membranes were characterized by FTIR, 13C NMR, XRD, TG, XPS, SEM, AFM, Raman, and tensile tests. CC and CT were homogeneously distributed in the blended membranes which clearly demonstrates the compatibility between the two polymers. The blended membrane with 20 wt