Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026
22:00
Crystallizing Membrane Proteins for Structure Determination using Lipidic Mesophases
Published on: November 21, 2010
30.6K
Polysulfone Membranes: Here, There and Everywhere
Pere Verdugo1, Iwona Gulaczyk2, Magdalena Olkiewicz1
1Eurecat, Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, Chemical Technologies Unit, Marcel·lí Domingo 2, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
Membranes
|January 27, 2026
Summary
Polysulfone (PSU) membranes offer excellent stability for separations. Recent advancements in fabrication and nanomaterial integration significantly enhance their performance in gas separation and water purification applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Polysulfone (PSU) membranes are valued for thermal stability, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance.
- PSU membranes are utilized in various separation processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in polysulfone (PSU) membrane development.
- To highlight fabrication techniques, structural modifications, and emerging applications of PSU membranes.
Main Methods:
- Phase inversion is the primary method for PSU membrane synthesis.
- Functional enhancements are achieved through blending, chemical grafting, and incorporating nanomaterials like MOFs, carbon nanotubes, and zwitterionic polymers.
Main Results:
- PSU-based mixed matrix membranes show improved CO2/CH4 selectivity with MOFs.
- PSU membranes effectively remove algal toxins and heavy metals, with enhanced hydrophilicity and antifouling properties via surface modifications.
Conclusions:
- PSU membranes are adaptable for advanced gas separation and water purification.
- Further research is needed to optimize cross-linking and understand structure-property relationships for sustainable systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:21The Resting Membrane Potential
142.1K
Overview
142.1K
01:16Introduction to Membrane Proteins
80.9K
The cell membrane, or plasma membrane, is an ever-changing landscape. It is described as a fluid mosaic where various macromolecules are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer. Among the macromolecules are proteins. The protein content varies across cell types. For example, mitochondrial inner membranes contain ~76% protein content, while myelin contains ~18% protein content. Individual cells contain many types of membrane proteins—red blood cells contain over 50—and different cell...
80.9K
01:24What are Membranes?
18.8K
A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries...
18.8K
01:54What are Membranes?
190.0K
A key characteristic of life is the ability to separate the external environment from the internal space. To do this, cells have evolved semi-permeable membranes that regulate the passage of biological molecules. Additionally, the cell membrane defines a cell’s shape and interactions with the external environment. Eukaryotic cell membranes also serve to compartmentalize the internal space into organelles, including the endomembrane structures of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum and...
190.0K
01:26Membrane Fluidity
14.7K
Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...
14.7K
01:30Membrane Proteins
30.4K
Plasma membranes have integral transmembrane proteins involved in facilitated transport. These proteins are collectively referred to as transport proteins, and they function as either channels for the material or as carriers themselves. Channel proteins have hydrophilic domains exposed to the intracellular and extracellular fluids and a hydrophilic channel through their core that provides a hydrated opening for solutes to pass through the membrane layers. Passage through the channel allows...
30.4K