Block Copolymer-Based Membranes

A special issue of Membranes (ISSN 2077-0375). This special issue belongs to the section "Membrane Analysis and Characterization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2019)

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institut Européen des Membranes—IEM, Université de Montpellier, CEDEX 05, 34095 Montpellier, France
Interests: block copolymers; RAFT polymerization; self-assembly; polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA); hybrid material; block copolymer membranes; metal and covalent organic frameworks (MOF and COF)
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to invite you to submit your original work or a review article to this Special Issue on “Block Copolymer-based Membranes”.

Membranes are crucial to many aspects of our modern lives, from water purification to energy and food production/storage and pharmaceutics. Membrane-based technologies offer numerous advantages compared to other separation techniques, mainly in terms of energy consumption. To make an efficient membrane, high selectivity (uniform pores) and high flux (high pore density) need to be coupled. Large scale production with affordable prices should also be feasible. Membranes made from polymers are advantageous compared to their ceramic (inorganic) counterparts as the former are cheaper and often easier to produce and handle. Block copolymers are perfect candidates for the fabrication of membranes, since they are inexpensive, processable and able to form nanostructures. In addition, it is rather easy to convey functionality to them via the use of functional monomers or post-polymerization modifications. With the recent advances in polymerization techniques it is relatively easy to prepare block copolymers with the desired molecular weight, functionality and architecture. The use of these tailor-made block copolymers in membrane fabrication would assist the progress towards the development of functional isoporous membranes with high pore densities.   

This issue is devoted to membranes prepared from block copolymers, as this topic has attracted increasing interest in recent years. Work on all aspects of membranes (preparation, characterisation, functionality, application, performance, modelling, etc.) using block copolymers is welcome.

We are looking forward to receiving your work for this Special Issue.

Dr. Mona Semsarilar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Membranes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymeric membranes
  • block copolymers
  • functional membranes
  • isoporous membranes
  • composite membranes
  • asymetric membranes

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 3763 KiB  
Article
Development of PVDF Ultrafiltration Membrane with Zwitterionic Block Copolymer Micelles as a Selective Layer
by Hajeeth Thankappan, Gauthier Bousquet, Mona Semsarilar, Antoine Venault, Yung Chang, Denis Bouyer and Damien Quemener
Membranes 2019, 9(8), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes9080093 - 01 Aug 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4458
Abstract
In recent years, block copolymer micellar assemblies with the formation of structured nanoparticles have been considered as an emerging technology in membrane science. In this work, the poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) copolymer was directly synthesized using Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization and self-assembled [...] Read more.
In recent years, block copolymer micellar assemblies with the formation of structured nanoparticles have been considered as an emerging technology in membrane science. In this work, the poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) copolymer was directly synthesized using Reversible Addition-Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization and self-assembled in a selective medium (2,2,2-trifluroethanol/water). Then, poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) copolymers were casted onto a commercial PVDF membrane to form a thin porous selective layer. The prepared nanoparticles and the resulting membranes were fully characterized using microscopy methods (SEM and AFM), whereas the membrane performance was evaluated in terms of permeability and the molecular weight cut off. The results from this study demonstrate the preparation of an ultrafiltration membrane made from the assembly of poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) copolymer micelles on the top of a PVDF membrane in the form of thin film. The copolymer chain orientation leads to a membrane surface enriched in hydrophilic PSBMA, which confers a suitable behavior for aqueous solution filtration on the membrane, while preserving the high chemical and mechanical resistance of the PVDF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Block Copolymer-Based Membranes)
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