Nanocellulose-based membranes with pH- and temperature-responsive pore size for selective separation.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Smart gating membranes are crucial for applications requiring tunable separation.
• Controllable pore size in membranes enables advanced filtration and release systems.
• Bacteria cellulose (BC) offers a sustainable and versatile platform for membrane fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare a dual-responsive smart gating membrane with tunable pore size.
• To investigate the membrane's performance under varying pH and temperature conditions.
• To evaluate the membrane's efficacy in selective particle separation and oil-water separation.

Main Methods:

• Grafting pH- and temperature-responsive polymers onto bacteria cellulose (BC) scaffolds.
• Characterizing the membrane's pore size, pure water flux, and responsiveness to external stimuli.
• Testing the membrane's performance in separating particles of different sizes and emulsified oils.

Main Results:

• The smart gating membrane exhibited controllable pore size ranging from 33.75 nm to 144.81 nm.
• Pure water flux was tunable from 342 to 2118 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ across pH 1-11 and 20-60 °C.
• Achieved >99% separation efficiency for emulsified oils due to superhydrophobicity and nanoscale pores.
• Demonstrated gradient selective separation capabilities and good self-cleaning performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanocellulose-based smart gating membrane shows excellent responsiveness and tunable properties.
• The membrane is effective for selective separation of particles and highly efficient in oil-water separation.
• Potential applications include controlled permeation, selective separation, and controlled release systems.