Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2025

Fabricating Reactive Surfaces with Brush-like and Crosslinked Films of Azlactone-Functionalized Block Co-Polymers
Published on: June 30, 2018
Amphiphilic Poly(vinyl alcohol) Membranes Leaving Out Chemical Cross-Linkers: Design, Synthesis, and Function of
Alessandro Angelini1, Anja Car1, Ionel Adrian Dinu1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, Mattenstrasse 24a, BPR 1096, Basel, 4058, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Tailor-made poly(vinyl alcohol)-b-poly(styrene) copolymers (PVA-b-PS) for separation membranes are synthesized by the combination of reversible-deactivation radical polymerization techniques. The special features of these di-block copolymers are the high molecular weight (>70 kDa), the high PVA content (>80 wt%), and the good film-forming property. They are soluble only in hot dimethyl sulfoxide, but by the "solvent-switch" technique, they self-assemble in aqueous media to form micelles. When the self-assembled micelles are cast on a porous substrate, thin-film membranes with higher water permeance than that of PVA homopolymer are obtained. Thus, by using these tailor-made PVA-b-PS copolymers, it is demonstrated that chemical cross-linkers and acid catalysts can no longer be needed to produce PVA membranes, since the PS nanodomains within the PVA matrix act as cross-linking points. Lastly, subsequent thermal annealing of the thin film enhances the membrane selectivity due to the improved microphase separation.
More Related Videos
10:53Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
08:59A Freeze-Thawing Method to Prepare Chitosan-Polyvinyl alcohol Hydrogels Without Crosslinking Agents and Diflunisal Release Studies
Published on: January 14, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Polymer Classification: Stereospecificity
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Homopolymers