Highly tunable structure-by-design polymer brush membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration

Ramesh, Pranav; Sorci, Mirco; Sengupta, Bratin; Karla, Surya; Hao, Zerui; Yu, Miao; Kilduff, James E.; Belfort, Georges

doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121656

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…48−51 In earlier work, we presented the graft polymerization of alkyl methacrylates 31 as well as a one-step polymerization and crosslinking pathway. 52 Primary amines and carboxylic acids are commonly used as cross-linking sites for proteins 53−55 as they can react to form amides. Trimesic acid (aromatic) and itaconic acid (aliphatic) are used to cross-link primary amine groups from graft polymer brush aminoethyl methacrylate on the support surface for stiffening.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cross-linking is frequently employed in polymer science to change the physical properties of materials with the most recognizable example being vulcanization of rubber . Chemical cross-linking is also utilized in the membrane field to reduce aging, impart stability − and reduce swelling. − In earlier work, we presented the graft polymerization of alkyl methacrylates as well as a one-step polymerization and cross-linking pathway . Primary amines and carboxylic acids are commonly used as cross-linking sites for proteins − as they can react to form amides.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stiffening Polymer Brush Membranes for Enhanced Organic Solvent Nanofiltration Selectivity

Ramesh

Karla

Alshehri

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Membrane-based separations allow energy-efficient purification of organic solvents which are typically carried out by energy-intensive distillation. Polymer membranes are inexpensive and have obtained widespread industrial acceptance for water and biotech applications but not organic solvent nanofiltration due to relatively low selectivities. In this work, a new class of polymer brush membranes was prepared with high selectivities for methanol−toluene separation. Stiffening the brush structure by crosslinking with aromatic trimesic acid and aliphatic itaconic acid resulted in an increase in selectivity from 1.4 to 6.5−11.5. This was achieved by graft polymerization of a primary amine monomer (aminoethyl methacrylate) using single electron transfer-living radical polymerization (SET-LRP) followed by cross-linking. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and captive bubble contact angle measurements were used to characterize these membranes. The stiffness of the brush membranes was measured using a quartz crystal microbalancedissipation (QCM-D) and correlated positively with selectivity for separating organic feed mixtures. This new class of membranes offers a tunable and scalable method for purification of organics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%