Poly(vinyl alcohol) was modified by UV radiation with dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) monomer to get poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) modified poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVADMAEMA) membrane. The PVADMAEMA membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The tensile strength and elongation of PVADMAEMA membranes were measured by Universal Testing Machine. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that (1) the crystalline area in PVADMAEMA decreased with increasing the content of poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) in the membrane. (2) Only one glass transition temperature (Tg) was found for the various PVADMAEMA membranes. It means that poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) and PVA are compatible in PVADMAEMA membrane. (3)The Tg of the membrane is reduced with increasing the content of poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) in the membrane. The water content on the PVADMAEMA membranes was determined. It was found that the water content on the PVADMAEMA membrane increased with increasing the content of poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate). The changes of properties enhanced the permeability of 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) through the PVADMAEMA membranes. A linear relationship between the permeability and the weight percent of poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) in the PVADMAEMA membrane is found. It is expressed as P (cm/s) = (9.6 +/- 0.4) x 10-5 + (8.8 +/- 0.6) x 10-5 Wx, where P is the permeability of 5-Fu through the membrane and Wx is the weight percent of poly(dimethyl amino ethyl methacrylate) in the PVADMAEMA membrane. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012