The responsible management of the world’s water resources is essential to supporting life on earth. The success of seawater desalination by reverse osmosis highlights the role membrane separations will play in helping society meet the demand for fresh water. As interest in decentralized water treatment technologies grows, the development of nanofiltration (NF) as a complementary process to reverse osmosis has emerged. However, NF membranes that overcome the tradeoff between selectivity and permeability and that expand the range of molecules that can be selectively separated must be developed in order to realize the potential of NF-based processes. In this talk, a membrane platform fabricated from self-assembled block polymer precursors that can be modified post-assembly will be discussed. State-of-the-art membranes utilize a size-selective mechanism to filter dissolved solutes from solution. In this regard, self-assembled block polymers are a promising platform because large areas of membranes that contain a high density of pores can be readily produced using the self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation technique. Furthermore, the performance of the membranes can be controlled through the design of the macromolecular precursors. As the performance of these membranes is pushing the limits of size-selective separation mechanisms, interest in chemically-selective membranes is growing.<i> </i>As such, block polymer membranes with pores lined by moieties that can be converted to other functionalities post-assembly demonstrate the promise of this platform. Here, we will discuss how inkjet printing can be used to functionalize membrane chemistries in a precise manner on time scales consistent with roll-to-roll manufacturing. Through these examples, we will demonstrate that membranes based on self-assembled materials can be tailored to myriad separations for the conservation of water resources.

Expanding the functionality of nanostructured polymeric membranes through additive manufacturing

2019 Fall National Meeting

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