Solution blending
Solution blending is a simple way to fabricate polymer–
inorganic nanocomposite membranes. A polymer is first dissolved
in a solvent to form a solution, and then inorganic
nanoparticles are added into the solution and dispersed by
stirring. The nanocomposite membrane is cast by removing
the solvent. For example, Genne et al. [32] prepared polysulfone
(PSF)/ZrO2 nanocomposite membranes using 18 wt.% PSF
solution in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) with adding various
amounts of ZrO2 nanoparticles. The membrane permeability
increased as the ZrO2 weight fraction increased. Wara et al.
[33] reported the fabrication of nanocomposite membranes of
cellulose/Al2O3 by using the solution blending.
The solution blending method is easy to operate and suitable
for all kinds of inorganic materials, and the concentrations of
the polymer and inorganic components are easy to control [34].
However, the inorganic ingredients are liable to aggregate in the
membranes [35,36].
3.2. In