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Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Automated Lipid Bilayer Membrane Formation Using a Polydimethylsiloxane Thin Film
Published on: July 10, 2016
Development and characterization of ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl thiol and ethyl cellulose blended membranes
Mei Li1, Jianling Xia1, Chengxiang Ding2
1Institute of Chemical Industry of Forestry Products, CAF, Jiangsu Province Biomass Energy and Materials Laboratory, National Engineering Lab. for Biomass Chemical Utilization, Key and Lab. on Forest Chemical Engineering, SFA, Nanjing 210042, PR China; Institute of Forest New Technology, CAF, Beijing 100091, PR China.
Abstract:
Ethyl cellulose (EC) membranes can be combined with efficient plasticizers derived from renewable resources to form supramolecular systems. In this paper, a novel ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl triol (STRA) was first synthesized and used as a plasticizer for EC membranes. A supramolecular membrane of EC and STRA using van der Waals forces was designed. The morphology, hydrophilic performance, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. While pure EC is brittle, its membrane ductility and hydrophilic performance can be improved by integration with STRA. The highest tensile strength was found in EC/STRA (90/10) (8.37MPa). Impressively, the EC/STRA(60/40) and EC/STRA(50/50) elongation at break values were 17.4 and 20.2 times higher, respectively, than that of pure EC. This novel ricinoleic acid-based sulfhydryl triol can be used as a feedstock for hydrophobic EC membranes.
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