Design of Thermo-Responsive Pervaporation Membrane Based on Hyperbranched Polyglycerols and Elastin-like Protein...

This paper reports the development of a highly crosslinked hyper-branched polyglycerol (HPG) polymer bound to elastin-like proteins (ELPs) to create a membrane that undergoes a distinct closed-to-open permeation transition at 32 °C. The crosslinked HPG forms a robust, mesoporous structure (150-300 nm pores), suitable for selective filtration. The membranes were characterized by FTIR, UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM, and AFM, revealing their structural and morphological properties. Incorporating a synthetic polypeptide introduced thermo-responsive behavior, with the membrane transitioning from impermeable to permeable above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 32 °C. Permeation studies using crystal violet (CV) demonstrated selective transport, where CV permeated only above 32 °C, while water permeated at all temperatures. This hybrid HPG-ELP membrane system, acting as a molecular switch, offers potential for applications in drug delivery, bioseparations, and smart filtration systems, where permeability can be controlled by temperature.