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Farias-Mancilla B, Balestri A, Zhang J, Frielinghaus H, Berti D, Montis C, Destarac M, Schubert US, Guerrero-Sanchez C, Harrisson S, Lonetti B. Morphology and thermal transitions of self-assembled NIPAM-DMA copolymers in aqueous media depend on copolymer composition profile. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 662:99-108. [PMID: 38340518 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS There is a lack of understanding of the interplay between the copolymer composition profile and thermal transition observed in aqueous solutions of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) copolymers, as well as the correlation between this transition and the formation and structure of copolymer self-assemblies. EXPERIMENTS For this purpose, we investigated the response of five copolymers with the same molar mass and chemical composition, but with different composition profile in aqueous solution against temperature. Using complementary analytical techniques, we probed structural properties at different length scales, from the molecular scale with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to the colloidal scale with Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS). FINDINGS NMR and SANS investigations strengthen each other and allow a clear picture of the change of copolymer solubility and related copolymer self-assembly as a function of temperature. At the molecular scale, dehydrating NIPAM units drag N,N-dimethyl acrylamide (DMA) moieties with them in a gradual collapse of the copolymer chain; this induces a morphological transition of the self-assemblies from star-like nanostructures to crew-cut micelles. Interestingly, the transition spans a temperature range which depends on the monomer distribution profile in the copolymer chain, with the asymmetric triblock copolymer specimen revealing the broadest one. We show that the broad morphological transitions associated with gradient copolymers can be mimicked and even surpassed by the use of stepwise gradient (asymmetric) copolymers, which can be more easily and reproducibly synthesized than linear gradient copolymers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Farias-Mancilla
- Laboratoire Softmat, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Arianna Balestri
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence and CSGI, Florence, Italy
| | - Junliang Zhang
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Henrich Frielinghaus
- Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Center for Neutron Science at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, Lichtenbergstrasse 1, 85747 Garching, Germany
| | - Debora Berti
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence and CSGI, Florence, Italy
| | - Costanza Montis
- Department of Chemistry "Ugo Schiff", University of Florence and CSGI, Florence, Italy
| | - Mathias Destarac
- Laboratoire Softmat, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France
| | - Ulrich S Schubert
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Carlos Guerrero-Sanchez
- Laboratory of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Jena Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.
| | - Simon Harrisson
- LCPO, CNRS/Bordeaux-INP/Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France.
| | - Barbara Lonetti
- Laboratoire Softmat, Université de Toulouse, CNRS UMR 5623, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, France.
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Sepesy M, Banik T, Scott J, Venturina LAF, Johnson A, Schneider BL, Sibley MM, Duval CE. Chemically Stable Styrenic Electrospun Membranes with Tailorable Surface Chemistry. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:870. [PMID: 37999356 PMCID: PMC10673432 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13110870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Membranes with tailorable surface chemistry have applications in a wide range of industries. Synthesizing membranes from poly(chloromethyl styrene) directly incorporates an alkyl halide surface-bound initiator which can be used to install functional groups via SN2 chemistry or graft polymerization techniques. In this work, poly(chloromethyl styrene) membranes were synthesized through electrospinning. After fabrication, membranes were crosslinked with a diamine, and the chemical resistance of the membranes was evaluated by exposure to 10 M nitric acid, ethanol, or tetrahydrofuran for 24 h. The resulting membranes had diameters on the order of 2-5 microns, porosities of >80%, and permeance on the order of 10,000 L/m2/h/bar. Crosslinking the membranes generally increased the chemical stability. The degree of crosslinking was approximated using elemental analysis for nitrogen and ranged from 0.5 to 0.9 N%. The poly(chloromethyl styrene) membrane with the highest degree of crosslinking did not dissolve in THF after 24 h and retained its high permeance after solvent exposure. The presented chemically resistant membranes can serve as a platform technology due to their versatile surface chemistry and can be used in membrane manufacturing techniques that require the membrane to be contacted with organic solvents or monomers. They can also serve as a platform for separations that are performed in strong acids.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christine E. Duval
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
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3
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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.
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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
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Hostert JD, Sepesy MR, Duval CE, Renner JN. Clickable polymer scaffolds enable Ce recovery with peptide ligands. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:2823-2831. [PMID: 37000583 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01664h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth elements (REEs) are a vital part of many technologies with particular importance to the renewable energy sector and there is a pressing need for environmentally friendly and sustainable processes to recover and recycle them from waste streams. Functionalized polymer scaffolds are a promising means to recover REEs due to the ability to engineer both transport properties of the porous material and specificity for target ions. In this work, REE adsorbing polymer scaffolds were synthesized by first introducing poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (GMA) brushes onto porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) surface through activator generated electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET ATRP). Azide moieties were then introduced through a ring opening reaction of GMA. Subsequently, REE-binding peptides were conjugated to the polymer surface through copper catalyzed azide alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click chemistry. The presence of GMA, azide, and peptide was confirmed through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Polymer scaffolds functionalized with the REE-binding peptide bound cerium, while polymer scaffolds functionalized with a scrambled control peptide bound significantly less cerium. Importantly, this study shows that the REE binding peptide retains its functionality when bound to a polymer surface. The conjugation strategy employed in this work can be used to introduce peptides onto other polymeric surfaces and tailor surface specificity for a wide variety of ions and small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D Hostert
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2102 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
| | - Maura R Sepesy
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2102 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
| | - Christine E Duval
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2102 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
| | - Julie N Renner
- Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2102 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
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He G, Li M, Li X, Wang Q, Xie Z, Xue Y, Wang K, Yu J, Sun G, Yu H, Qiu X. Isoporous membrane from PS-b-PAA/MWCNT-Ag composite with high photothermal conversion efficiency. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Pavluchkov V, Shefer I, Peer-Haim O, Blotevogel J, Epsztein R. Indications of ion dehydration in diffusion-only and pressure-driven nanofiltration. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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7
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Ouimet JA, Liu X, Brown DJ, Eugene EA, Popps T, Muetzel ZW, Dowling AW, Phillip WA. DATA: Diafiltration Apparatus for high-Throughput Analysis. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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8
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Landsman MR, Rivers F, Pedretti BJ, Freeman BD, Lawler DF, Lynd NA, Katz LE. Boric acid removal with polyol-functionalized polyether membranes. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.119690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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10
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Tu YM, Samineni L, Ren T, Schantz AB, Song W, Sharma S, Kumar M. Prospective applications of nanometer-scale pore size biomimetic and bioinspired membranes. J Memb Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Tarpeh WA, Chen X. Making wastewater obsolete: Selective separations to enable circular water treatment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 5:100078. [PMID: 36158609 PMCID: PMC9488079 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2021.100078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
By 2050, the societal needs and innovation drivers of the 21st century will be in full swing: mitigating climate change, minimizing anthropogenic effects on natural ecosystems, navigating scarcity of natural resources, and ensuring equitable access to quality of life will have matured from future needs to exigent realities. Water is one such natural resource, and will need to be treated and transported to maximize resource efficiency. In particular, wastewater will be mined for the valuable product precursors it contains, which will require highly selective separation processes capable of capturing specific target compounds from complex solutions. As a case study, we focus on the nitrogen cycle because it plays a central role in both natural and engineered systems. Nitrogen occurs as several species, including ammonia, a fertilizer and precursor to many nitrogen products, and nitrate, a fertilizer and component of explosives. We describe two applications of selective separations: selective materials and electrochemical processes. Ultimately, this perspective outlines the next thirty years of modular, selective, resource-efficient separations that will play a major role in enabling element-specific circular economies and redefining wastewater as a resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- William A. Tarpeh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Engineering Research Center for Re-inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Corresponding author. 443 Via Ortega, Room 387, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
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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: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [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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Sujanani R, Landsman MR, Jiao S, Moon JD, Shell MS, Lawler DF, Katz LE, Freeman BD. Designing Solute-Tailored Selectivity in Membranes: Perspectives for Water Reuse and Resource Recovery. ACS Macro Lett 2020; 9:1709-1717. [PMID: 35617076 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Treatment of nontraditional source waters (e.g., produced water, municipal and industrial wastewaters, agricultural runoff) offers exciting opportunities to expand water and energy resources via water reuse and resource recovery. While conventional polymer membranes perform water/ion separations well, they do not provide solute-specific separation, a key component for these treatment opportunities. Herein, we discuss the selectivity limitations plaguing all conventional membranes, which include poor removal of small, neutral solutes and insufficient discrimination between ions of the same valence. Moreover, we present synthetic approaches for solute-tailored selectivity including the incorporation of single-digit nanopores and solute-selective ligands into membranes. Recent progress in these areas highlights the need for fundamental studies to rationally design membranes with selective moieties achieving desired separations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Sujanani
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Matthew R. Landsman
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 301 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Sally Jiao
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of California Santa Barbara, 3357 Engineering II, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Joshua D. Moon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of California Santa Barbara, 3357 Engineering II, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - M. Scott Shell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of California Santa Barbara, 3357 Engineering II, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States
| | - Desmond F. Lawler
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 301 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Lynn E. Katz
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 301 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Benny D. Freeman
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 East Dean Keeton Street, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
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