1
|
Wu T, Wang Z, Yin F, Wang W, Yi Z. Isoporous Membranes by the Symmetric Triblock Copolymer: A Strategy to Improve the Mechanical Strength without Sharply Changing the Pore Size and Permselectivity. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:37073-37086. [PMID: 38958638 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c07113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Isoporous membranes produced from diblock copolymers commonly display a poor mechanical property that shows many negative impacts on their separation application. It is theoretically predicted that dense films produced from symmetric triblock copolymers show much stronger mechanical properties than those of homologous diblock copolymers. However, to the best of our knowledge, symmetric triblock copolymers have rarely been fabricated into isoporous membranes before, and a full understanding of separation as well as mechanical properties of membranes prepared from triblock copolymers and homologous diblock copolymers has not been conducted, either. In this work, a cleavable symmetric triblock copolymer with polystyrene as the side block and poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) as the middle block was synthesized and designed by the RAFT polymerization using the symmetric chain transfer agent, which located at the center of polymer chains and could be removed to produce homologous diblock copolymers with half-length while having the same composition as that found in triblock copolymers. The self-assembly of these two copolymers in thin films and casting solutions was first investigated, observing that they displayed similar self-organized structures under these two conditions. When fabricated into isoporous membranes, they showed similar pore sizes (5-7% difference) and comparable rejection performance (∼10% difference). However, isoporous membranes produced from triblock copolymers showed significantly improved mechanical strength and higher toughness (2-10 times larger) as evidenced by the compacting resistance, strain-stress determination, and nanoindentation testing, suggesting the unique and novel structure-performance relationship in the isoporous membranes produced from symmetric triblock copolymers. The above finding will guide the way to fabricate mechanically robust isoporous membranes without notably changing the separation performance from rarely used symmetric triblock copolymers, which can be synthesized by the controlled polymerization as facilely as that found for diblock copolymers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wu
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
- Huzhou Institute of Collaborative Innovation Center for Membrane Separation and Water treatment, Hong Feng Road, Huzhou 313000, China
| | - Zixiong Wang
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Fengjie Yin
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Wenjing Wang
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
| | - Zhuan Yi
- Center for Membrane and Water Science & Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China
- Huzhou Institute of Collaborative Innovation Center for Membrane Separation and Water treatment, Hong Feng Road, Huzhou 313000, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tsaur L, Wiesner UB. Non-Equilibrium Block Copolymer Self-Assembly Based Porous Membrane Formation Processes Employing Multicomponent Systems. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15092020. [PMID: 37177169 PMCID: PMC10180547 DOI: 10.3390/polym15092020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Porous polymer-derived membranes are useful for applications ranging from filtration and separation technologies to energy storage and conversion. Combining block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly with the industrially scalable, non-equilibrium phase inversion technique (SNIPS) yields membranes comprising periodically ordered top surface structures supported by asymmetric, hierarchical substructures that together overcome performance tradeoffs typically faced by materials derived from equilibrium approaches. This review first reports on recent advances in understanding the top surface structural evolution of a model SNIPS-derived system during standard membrane formation. Subsequently, the application of SNIPS to multicomponent systems is described, enabling pore size modulation, chemical modification, and transformation to non-polymeric materials classes without compromising the structural features that define SNIPS membranes. Perspectives on future directions of both single-component and multicomponent membrane materials are provided. This points to a rich and fertile ground for the study of fundamental as well as applied problems using non-equilibrium-derived asymmetric porous materials with tunable chemistry, composition, and structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lieihn Tsaur
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Ulrich B Wiesner
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Simon A, Zhang Z, Abetz C, Abetz V, Segal-Peretz T. Atomic layer deposition enables multi-modal three-dimensional electron microscopy of isoporous membranes. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:3219-3229. [PMID: 36722895 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr05477a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) are promising materials for water purification. They enable the fabrication of integral asymmetric isoporous membranes with high permeability and good selectivity. Commonly, the characterization of such hierarchical structures is performed by conventional electron microscopy (EM) means, namely scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM, respectively). However, due to the inherent lack of contrast between BCP domains, external contrast agents are required to achieve informative, high-resolution imaging. In addition, such EM techniques are typically limited to a certain cross-section or surface morphology only. In this paper, we harness the selective growth of AlOx in the pore-forming domains of BCPs to create an internal and stable contrast difference between the blocks. This in turn allowed us to perform advanced three-dimensional characterization of the membranes with focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM and TEM tomography, providing an understanding of the 3D structure and properties such as 3D geometry of the pores, 3D tortuosity, and 3D permeability. This 3D characterization also provides better correlations between the membrane structure and its performance. Such knowledge can allow better design and fine-tuning of BCP membranes and other membranes for their applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Assaf Simon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion, Haifa-3200003, Israel.
| | - Zhenzhen Zhang
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Membrane Research, Max-Planck-Str.1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
| | - Clarissa Abetz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Membrane Research, Max-Planck-Str.1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
| | - Volker Abetz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Institute of Membrane Research, Max-Planck-Str.1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany.
- Universität Hamburg, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
4
|
Huang JH, Shao L, Zhang YQ, Zhang YJ, Wang K, Ma J, Drioli E, Cheng XQ. Relationship between the Hansen solubility parameter and changes in membrane mass-transfer channels: A quantitative model. Chem Eng Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2022.118071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
5
|
Improving the permselectivity of asymmetric isoporous membranes by blending the micro-sized metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) crystals with block copolymer. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
|
6
|
Akamatsu K, Shida T, Ochiai A, Fukase R, Ohashi H, Nakao SI, Wang XL. Low-Fouling Polyvinylidene Fluoride Microfiltration Membranes Produced by Grafting Carboxybetaine Polymers by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization and Activator Generated by Electron Transfer–Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. Ind Eng Chem Res 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c02757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuki Akamatsu
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taisei Shida
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ayaka Ochiai
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryo Fukase
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidenori Ohashi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16, Naka-cho, Koganei 184-8588, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shin-ichi Nakao
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xiao-lin Wang
- Department of Environmental Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, School of Advanced Engineering, Kogakuin University, 2665-1 Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi 192-0015, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Liu J, Lu X, Shu G, Li K, Zheng S, Kong X, Li T, Yang J. The facile method developed for preparing polyvinylidene fluoride plasma separation membrane via macromolecular interaction. Chin J Chem Eng 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2022.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
8
|
Liu Y, Cui X, Lee YI, Liu HG. Self-Assembly of Polystyrene- b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)/Chloroauric Acid at the Liquid/Liquid Interface. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2022; 38:4589-4598. [PMID: 35389663 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c03338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) at the liquid/liquid interface has been systematically investigated to develop a series of primary morphologies of the aggregates. The block copolymers self-assembled into large areas of nanodot arrays, parallel nanostrands, layered films, parallel nanobelts, honeycomb monolayers, and foams by reacting with chloroauric acid, depending on the molecular structure of the block copolymers and the amount of chloroauric acid. The formation of the first four ordered structures resulted from interfacial adsorption and self-assembly, and nucleation and epitaxial growth. The latter two structures were attributed to the water hole templating effect and spontaneous interfacial emulsification, respectively. This work provides insight into the self-assembly behavior of block copolymers at the interface and provides a facile approach for fabricating functional structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Liu
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry of Education Ministry, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Xiaona Cui
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry of Education Ministry, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| | - Yong-Ill Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773, Korea
| | - Hong-Guo Liu
- Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry of Education Ministry, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Peng LE, Yang Z, Long L, Zhou S, Guo H, Tang CY. A critical review on porous substrates of TFC polyamide membranes: Mechanisms, membrane performances, and future perspectives. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
10
|
Foroutani K, Ghasemi SM, Pourabbas B. Molecular tailoring of polystyrene-block-poly (acrylic acid) block copolymer toward additive-free asymmetric isoporous membranes via SNIPS. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
|
11
|
Kim KH, Kim M, Moon J, Huh J, Bang J. Bottlebrush Copolymer as Surface Neutralizer for Vertical Alignment of Block Copolymer Nanodomains in Thin Films. ACS Macro Lett 2021; 10:346-353. [PMID: 35549064 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Herein we designed bottlebrush copolymers for use as a neutral additive to block copolymer (BCP) thin films in which they are segregated to the interfaces via architectural effects and produce nonpreferential interfaces to induce perpendicular orientation of BCP microdomains. Two BCP systems were employed, a conventional poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) with relatively low χ and similar surface energies between blocks, and a high χ poly(styrene-b-methacrylic acid) (PS-b-PMAA) with distinct surface energies. The bottlebrushes, with either short side-chains of PS-r-PMMA or PS-r-PMAA random copolymers, were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Remarkably, it was observed that the top and bottom interfaces of both BCP films were enriched with bottlebrush copolymers, regardless of the surface energy difference between blocks, hence, vertically oriented microdomains were achieved for both BCP systems. This can be attributed to the screening of polymer interactions by a good solvent during the spin-casting process, allowing architectural effects to play a role in surface segregation of bottlebrush copolymers, as confirmed by contact angle measurements and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS). We believe that this concept can be further extended to various applications that require polymer films with functional surfaces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ki Hyun Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Mincheol Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Junsoo Moon
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - June Huh
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Joona Bang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Sankhala K, Koll J, Abetz V. Facilitated Structure Formation in Isoporous Block Copolymer Membranes upon Controlled Evaporation by Gas Flow. MEMBRANES 2020; 10:E83. [PMID: 32353997 PMCID: PMC7281245 DOI: 10.3390/membranes10050083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The conventional fabrication of isoporous membranes via the evaporation-induced self-assembly of block copolymers in combination with non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS) is achieved under certain environmental conditions. In this study, we report a modification in the conventional fabrication process of (isoporous) flat sheet membranes in which the self-assembly of block copolymers is achieved by providing controlled evaporation conditions using gas flow and the process is introduced as gSNIPS. This fabrication approach can not only trigger and control the microphase separation but also provides isoporous structure formation in a much broader range of solution concentrations and casting parameters, as compared to fabrication under ambient, uncontrolled conditions. We systematically investigated the structure formation of the fabrication of integral asymmetric isoporous membranes by gSNIPS. A quantitative correlation between the evaporation conditions (causing solvent evaporation and temperature drop) and the self-assembly of block copolymers beginning from the top layer up to a certain depth, orientation of pores in the top layer and the substructure morphology has been discussed empirically.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirti Sankhala
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute of Polymer Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
| | - Joachim Koll
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute of Polymer Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
| | - Volker Abetz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Institute of Polymer Research, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King-Platz 6, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Preparation and Characterization of Hydrophilic Wetting-Modified Polyamide Fibers. ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1155/2020/8475497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
To improve the moisture absorption and air permeability of polyamide (PA) fibers, the modified fibers with porous structure were fabricated by melt spinning using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore-forming agent due to its high solubility in water. The effects of pores caused by different PEG contents on the structure and properties of modified fibers were analyzed by electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and water contact angle. These results indicate that the porosity of modified fibers increases with PEG content increasing. Moreover, the formation of pores obviously affects the crystal forms of modified fibers. The alpha crystal gradually decreases and the gamma crystal increases with the porosity increasing. Furthermore, with respect to the modified fibers obtained from 47.33% PEG content, its water absorption increases from 3.78% of pure PA to 19.76% and its contact angle decreases from 116° to 85°. In addition, due to the interaction of hydrogen bond occurring between PA and PEG during the spinning process, the elongation at break, rupture work, and initial modulus of modified fibers were improved when the porosity was not more than 4.23%.
Collapse
|