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Preparation of Light-responsive Membranes by a Combined Surface Grafting and Postmodification Process
Published on: March 21, 2014
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Chemically Stable Styrenic Electrospun Membranes with Tailorable Surface Chemistry
Maura Sepesy1, Tuli Banik1, Joelle Scott1
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Membranes
|November 24, 2023
Summary
Chemically resistant poly(chloromethyl styrene) membranes were fabricated using electrospinning and crosslinking. These membranes exhibit high porosity and permeance, maintaining integrity in harsh solvents and acids for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Tailorable surface chemistry in membranes is crucial for diverse industrial applications.
- Poly(chloromethyl styrene) offers inherent initiator sites for surface functionalization via SN2 chemistry or graft polymerization.
- Electrospinning provides a method for fabricating polymer membranes with controlled morphology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize chemically resistant poly(chloromethyl styrene) membranes.
- To evaluate the impact of crosslinking on membrane stability in aggressive chemical environments.
- To assess the potential of these membranes as a platform technology for demanding separation processes.
Main Methods:
- Poly(chloromethyl styrene) membranes synthesized via electrospinning.
- Post-fabrication crosslinking using a diamine.
- Chemical resistance testing with 10 M nitric acid, ethanol, and tetrahydrofuran (THF).
- Characterization of membrane properties including diameter, porosity, and permeance.
- Elemental analysis to approximate the degree of crosslinking.
Main Results:
- Electrospun membranes exhibited diameters of 2-5 microns and porosities exceeding 80%.
- High permeance (approx. 10,000 L/m2/h/bar) was maintained after solvent exposure.
- Crosslinking significantly enhanced chemical stability, with highly crosslinked membranes resisting dissolution in THF.
- Elemental analysis indicated crosslinking degrees ranging from 0.5 to 0.9 N%.
Conclusions:
- Crosslinked poly(chloromethyl styrene) membranes demonstrate excellent chemical resistance and mechanical stability.
- These membranes serve as a versatile platform technology for applications involving organic solvents, monomers, or strong acids.
- The tailorable surface chemistry enables further functionalization for specialized separation tasks.
Keywords:
adsorptive chromatographychloromethyl styreneelectrospinningmicrofiltrationnon-woven membranespolyvinyl benzyl chlorideMore Related Videos
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