Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance

Rachel Mika Dorin, William A. Phillip, Hiroaki Sai, Jörg Werner, Menachem Elimelech, Ulrich Wiesner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

105 Scopus citations

Abstract

Using a combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation, isoporous ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from four poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) triblock terpolymers with similar block volume fractions but varying in total molar mass from 43 kg/mol to 115 kg/mol to systematically study the effect of polymer size on membrane structure. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to probe terpolymer solution structure in the dope. All four triblocks displayed solution scattering patterns consistent with a body-centered cubic morphology. After membrane formation, structures were characterized using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and filtration performance tests. Membrane pore densities that ranged from 4.53 × 1014 to 1.48 × 1015 pores/m 2 were observed, which are the highest pore densities yet reported for membranes using self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation. Hydraulic permeabilities ranging from 24 to 850 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 and pore diameters ranging from 7 to 36 nm were determined from permeation and rejection experiments. Both the hydraulic permeability and pore size increased with increasing molar mass of the parent terpolymer. The combination of polymer characterization and membrane transport tests described here demonstrates the ability to rationally design macromolecular structures to target specific performance characteristics in block copolymer derived ultrafiltration membranes. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)347-353
Number of pages7
JournalPolymer
Volume55
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2014
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this