Preparation of Hierarchical Highly Ordered Porous Films of Brominated Poly(phenylene oxide) and Hydrophilic SiO2/C Membrane via the Breath Figure Method

Abstract

Porous permeable films materials have very broad prospects in the treatment of sludge-containing waste water due to their large surface area and good microfiltration. In this work, highly ordered porous membranes have been prepared successfully on ice substrates using a poly(phenylene oxide) (BPPO)-SiO2 nanoparticle (NP) mixture by the breath figure method. Based on the theory of Pickering emulsion system and capillary flow, particle assisted membrane formation was analyzed. Another two sorts of new membranes SiO2/C membrane and hierarchical porous polymer (HPP) membrane, which were obtained by modification of the BPPO-SiO2 membrane by calcination and etching, were set up in a further study. Their properties were investigated through the methods of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), ultraviolet spectrum (UV), capillary electrophoresis (CE), contact angle, and water flux tests. All these results demonstrate that both surface hydrophilicity and fouling resistance of the membrane would be improved by using SiO2 as a filler. The membranes with high permeability and antifouling properties were used for microfiltration applications.

In Search of a Green Process: Polymeric Films with Ordered Arrays via a Water Droplet Technique

“…Some features such as (1) high quality of film forming; (2) water immiscible, and (3) efficient stabilization of water droplets are considered to afford a polymer solution for preparing honeycomb-like films by the BF method. Among these polymers, amphiphilic polymers [16,17,18,19] and functionalized block copolymers [20,21,22], capable of balancing the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the solution–water interface, are favorable for forming ordered arrays during the BF process. In one particular example, an ionic group/counter-ion effect on porous polymer film morphology was investigated based on a series of PH3T-b-PMMA diblock copolymers [20].…”

Ordered Honeycomb‐Pattern Membrane†

“…[ 91 ] Yuan et al . [ 92 ] cast BPPO/carbon disulfide solution and SiO 2 nanoparticles on an ice substrate to form an ordered porous film containing SiO 2 nanoparticles and SiO 2 /C membrane, as shown in Figure 8. This membrane had a good anti‐fouling property due to its hydrophilicity.…”

“…In addition to adjusting the film‐forming process, functional polymers are also used to increase membrane permeability. [ 12,92 ]…”

Bio‐Inspired Silica Films Combining Block Copolymers Self‐Assembly and Soft Chemistry: Paving the Way toward Artificial Exosqueleton of Seawater Diatoms

“…Yuan et al. [ 38 ] reported the preparation of highly ordered porous membranes using a poly(phenylene oxide) (BPPO)‐SiO 2 nanoparticle mixture. The aim is to obtain hierarchical porous polymer membrane by etching the BPPO‐SiO 2 membrane with hydrofluoric acid to remove SiO 2 NPs.…”

“…Yuan et al. [ 38 ] presented a sacrificial template free method for the formation of ordered porous BPPO‐SiO 2 nanoparticle membranes and SiO 2 /C membranes after thermal treatment. The BF process was employed on ice substrates for each membrane.…”