Asymmetric Membranes from Two Chemically Distinct Triblock Terpolymers Blended during Standard Membrane Fabrication

Abstract

Deviating from the traditional formation of block copolymer derived isoporous membranes from one block copolymer chemistry, here asymmetric membranes with isoporous surface structure are derived from two chemically distinct block copolymers blended during standard membrane fabrication. As a first proof of principle, the fabrication of asymmetric membranes is reported, which are blended from two chemically distinct triblock terpolymers, poly(isoprene‐b‐styrene‐b‐(4‐vinyl)pyridine) (ISV) and poly(isoprene‐b‐styrene‐b‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (ISA), differing in the pH‐responsive hydrophilic segment. Using block copolymer self‐assembly and nonsolvent induced phase separation process, pure and blended membranes are prepared by varying weight ratios of ISV to ISA. Pure and blended membranes exhibit a thin, selective layer of pores above a macroporous substructure. Observed permeabilities at varying pH values of blended membranes depend on relative triblock terpolymer composition. These results open a new direction for membrane fabrication through the use of mixtures of chemically distinct block copolymers enabling the tailoring of membrane surface chemistries and functionalities. image

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Sep 08, 2016
Source ID
10.1002/marc.201600440

Entities

People

  • Divya Srinivasan
  • Parth Vaidya
  • Ulrich Wiesner
  • Yibei Gu
  • Yuk Mun Li

Organizations

  • Cornell University
  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • National Science Foundation

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Chemistry

Readers

  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Polymer Science and Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics