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Ye Q, Wang R, Chen C, Chen B, Zhu X. High-Flux pH-Responsive Ultrafiltration Membrane for Efficient Nanoparticle Fractionation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:56575-56583. [PMID: 34786948 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c16673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fractionation of nanoparticles with different sizes from the mixture by using a single membrane would reduce the membrane cost and enhance the efficiency. In this study, an amphiphilic pH-responsive copolymer was prepared by grafting a pH-responsive hydrophilic polymethacrylic acid (PMAA) side chain from a hydrophobic poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene), P(VDF-CTFE) backbone. Subsequently, the isoporous pH-responsive membranes (PPMs) were prepared from the functional copolymers with different PMAA chain lengths. PPM indicated reversible pore size decreasing with the increasing pH of the feed. Moreover, the membrane pore size variation range was further extended by adjusting the PMAA side chain length of the copolymer to reach a wide range from 10.2 to 34.5 nm. Owning to the amphiphilic nature of the copolymer, PPM showed a narrow pore size distribution which is responsible for the much higher pure water flux of PPM than the conventional UF membrane with similar retention capability. In the fractionation test, the mixed 20 and 30 nm polystyrene nanoparticles were penetrating PPM at pH 11 and 3, respectively. The pH-responsive PPM indicated great potential for nanoparticle fractionation, while the uniform pores of PPM further enhanced the membrane performance in terms of permeability and selectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qisheng Ye
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Rui Wang
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Cheng Chen
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Baoliang Chen
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Xiaoying Zhu
- Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Process and Control, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Hampu N, Werber JR, Chan WY, Feinberg EC, Hillmyer MA. Next-Generation Ultrafiltration Membranes Enabled by Block Polymers. ACS NANO 2020; 14:16446-16471. [PMID: 33315381 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Reliable and equitable access to safe drinking water is a major and growing challenge worldwide. Membrane separations represent one of the most promising strategies for the energy-efficient purification of potential water sources. In particular, porous membranes are used for the ultrafiltration (UF) of water to remove contaminants with nanometric sizes. However, despite exhibiting excellent water permeability and solution processability, existing UF membranes contain a broad distribution of pore sizes that limit their size selectivity. To maximize the potential utility of UF membranes and allow for precise separations, improvements in the size selectivity of these systems must be achieved. Block polymers represent a potentially transformative solution, as these materials self-assemble into well-defined domains of uniform size. Several different strategies have been reported for integrating block polymers into UF membranes, and each strategy has its own set of materials and processing considerations to ensure that uniform and continuous pores are generated. This Review aims to summarize and critically analyze the chemistries, processing techniques, and properties required for the most common methods for producing porous membranes from block polymers, with a particular focus on the fundamental mechanisms underlying block polymer self-assembly and pore formation. Critical structure-property-performance metrics will be analyzed for block polymer UF membranes to understand how these membranes compare to commercial UF membranes and to identify key research areas for continued improvements. This Review is intended to inform readers of the capabilities and current challenges of block polymer UF membranes, while stimulating critical thought on strategies to advance these technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Hampu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Jay R Werber
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Wui Yarn Chan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Elizabeth C Feinberg
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Marc A Hillmyer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
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Mesoporous Composite Membrane Based on Block Copolymer Self-Assembly. Macromol Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s13233-020-8013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Supramolecular membranes: A robust platform to develop separation strategies towards water-based applications. Sep Purif Technol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2019.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Surface wormlike morphology control of polysulfone/poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) membranes by tuning the two-stage phase separation and their thermo-responsive permselectivity. J Memb Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2018.03.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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Schuster C, Rodler A, Tscheliessnig R, Jungbauer A. Freely suspended perforated polymer nanomembranes for protein separations. Sci Rep 2018. [PMID: 29535317 PMCID: PMC5849607 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22200-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective removal of nanometer-sized compounds such as proteins from fluids is an often challenging task in many scientific and industrial areas. Addressing such tasks with highly efficient and selective membranes is desirable since commonly used chromatographic approaches are expensive and difficult to scale up. Nanomembranes, molecularly thin separation layers, have been predicted and shown to possess outstanding properties but in spite ultra-fast diffusion times and high-resolution separation, to date they generally lack either of two crucial characteristics: compatibility with biological fluids and low-cost production. Here we report the fast and easy fabrication of highly crosslinked polymer membranes based on a thermoset resin (poly[(o-cresyl glycidyl ether)-co-formaldehyde (PCGF) cured with branched polyethyleneimine (PEI)) with nanoscale perforations of 25 nm diameter. During spin casting, microphase separation of a polylactide-co-glycolide induces the formation of nanometer sized domains that serve as templates for perforations which penetrate the 80 nm thick membranes. Ultrathin perforated nanomembranes can be freely suspended on the cm scale, exhibit high mechanical strength, low surface energies and a sharp permeability cutoff at a hydrodynamic diameter of 10 nm suitable for protein separations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Agnes Rodler
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Alois Jungbauer
- Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria. .,University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.
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Yang H, Wang Z, Lan Q, Wang Y. Antifouling ultrafiltration membranes by selective swelling of polystyrene/poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers. J Memb Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Stevens DM, Shu JY, Reichert M, Roy A. Next-Generation Nanoporous Materials: Progress and Prospects for Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration. Ind Eng Chem Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.7b02411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Derek M. Stevens
- Dow Water and Process Solutions, 7600 Metro Boulevard, Edina, Minnesota 55439, United States
| | - Jessica Y. Shu
- Dow Water and Process Solutions, 7600 Metro Boulevard, Edina, Minnesota 55439, United States
| | - Matthew Reichert
- Dow Water and Process Solutions, 7600 Metro Boulevard, Edina, Minnesota 55439, United States
| | - Abhishek Roy
- Dow Water and Process Solutions, 7600 Metro Boulevard, Edina, Minnesota 55439, United States
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Lan Q, Yan N, Wang Y. Tight ultrafiltration membranes of mesoporous phenolic resin filled in macroporous substrates. J Memb Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Varricchio SSG, Piacentini N, Bertsch A, Renaud P. Multimaterial Nanoporous Membranes Shaped through High Aspect-Ratio Sacrificial Silicon Nanostructures. ACS OMEGA 2017; 2:2387-2394. [PMID: 31457588 PMCID: PMC6640980 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We present an innovative fabrication method for solid-state nanoporous membranes based on the casting of sacrificial silicon nanostructures. The process allows the individual definition of geometry and placement of each nanopore through e-beam lithography and is compatible with a wide range of materials without the need to adapt the process to the materials used. We demonstrate the fabrication of membranes integrating high aspect-ratio nanopores with critical dimensions as small as 30 nm, 1.2 μm in length, with round or elongated shapes, and made of silicon dioxide or amorphous carbon. The capability to engineer nanoporous membranes made of a variety of materials and with tailored designs will lead to new applications in the field of electrochemical sensing, flow modulation, or the chemical functionalization of nanopores.
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Dry–wet phase inversion block copolymer membranes with a minimum evaporation step from NMP/THF mixtures. J Memb Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.12.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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