Thermoresponsive Membranes from Electrospun Mats with Switchable Wettability for Efficient Oil/Water Separations

Yan Liu; Sinem Tas; Kaihuan Zhang; Wiebe M. de Vos; Jinghong Ma; G. Julius Vancso

doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853

Thermoresponsive Membranes from Electrospun Mats with Switchable Wettability for Efficient Oil/Water Separations

Yan Liu, Sinem Tas, Kaihuan Zhang, Wiebe M. de Vos, Jinghong Ma^* (Corresponding Author), G. Julius Vancso (Corresponding Author)

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)

247 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

A simple and versatile method is described to obtain polycaprolactone (PCL) porous membranes, consisting of fibers prepared by electrospinning. The surface of the fibers is modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). PCL mixtures, featuring Br end-functionalized and nonfunctionalized polymer, are used to enable SI-ATRP. Wettability at variable temperatures is governed by the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM as contact angle and swelling ratio measurements demonstrate. Because of the PNIPAM LCST, the membranes show a variation of pore size with temperature, which is accompanied by flux changes of water permeating the membranes. Temperature gated separation is demonstrated using oil/water emulsions at 1 bar pressure. Typical separation efficiencies are 92% and 25% at 25 and 50 °C, respectively. Employment of anionic and neutral surfactants shows that the separation efficiency also depends on the interaction between the membranes and the emulsions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	8435-8442
Number of pages	8
Journal	Macromolecules
Volume	51
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853
Publication status	Published - 13 Nov 2018

Access to Document

10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

ArticleFinal published version, 4.02 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{eae7388f82b149ec9c8215f66cd79109,

title = "Thermoresponsive Membranes from Electrospun Mats with Switchable Wettability for Efficient Oil/Water Separations",

abstract = "A simple and versatile method is described to obtain polycaprolactone (PCL) porous membranes, consisting of fibers prepared by electrospinning. The surface of the fibers is modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). PCL mixtures, featuring Br end-functionalized and nonfunctionalized polymer, are used to enable SI-ATRP. Wettability at variable temperatures is governed by the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM as contact angle and swelling ratio measurements demonstrate. Because of the PNIPAM LCST, the membranes show a variation of pore size with temperature, which is accompanied by flux changes of water permeating the membranes. Temperature gated separation is demonstrated using oil/water emulsions at 1 bar pressure. Typical separation efficiencies are 92% and 25% at 25 and 50 °C, respectively. Employment of anionic and neutral surfactants shows that the separation efficiency also depends on the interaction between the membranes and the emulsions.",

author = "Yan Liu and Sinem Tas and Kaihuan Zhang and {de Vos}, {Wiebe M.} and Jinghong Ma and Vancso, {G. Julius}",

year = "2018",

month = nov,

day = "13",

doi = "10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853",

language = "English",

volume = "51",

pages = "8435--8442",

journal = "Macromolecules",

issn = "0024-9297",

publisher = "American Chemical Society",

number = "21",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Thermoresponsive Membranes from Electrospun Mats with Switchable Wettability for Efficient Oil/Water Separations

AU - Liu, Yan

AU - Tas, Sinem

AU - Zhang, Kaihuan

AU - de Vos, Wiebe M.

AU - Ma, Jinghong

AU - Vancso, G. Julius

PY - 2018/11/13

Y1 - 2018/11/13

N2 - A simple and versatile method is described to obtain polycaprolactone (PCL) porous membranes, consisting of fibers prepared by electrospinning. The surface of the fibers is modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). PCL mixtures, featuring Br end-functionalized and nonfunctionalized polymer, are used to enable SI-ATRP. Wettability at variable temperatures is governed by the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM as contact angle and swelling ratio measurements demonstrate. Because of the PNIPAM LCST, the membranes show a variation of pore size with temperature, which is accompanied by flux changes of water permeating the membranes. Temperature gated separation is demonstrated using oil/water emulsions at 1 bar pressure. Typical separation efficiencies are 92% and 25% at 25 and 50 °C, respectively. Employment of anionic and neutral surfactants shows that the separation efficiency also depends on the interaction between the membranes and the emulsions.

AB - A simple and versatile method is described to obtain polycaprolactone (PCL) porous membranes, consisting of fibers prepared by electrospinning. The surface of the fibers is modified by grafting poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) brushes by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). PCL mixtures, featuring Br end-functionalized and nonfunctionalized polymer, are used to enable SI-ATRP. Wettability at variable temperatures is governed by the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM as contact angle and swelling ratio measurements demonstrate. Because of the PNIPAM LCST, the membranes show a variation of pore size with temperature, which is accompanied by flux changes of water permeating the membranes. Temperature gated separation is demonstrated using oil/water emulsions at 1 bar pressure. Typical separation efficiencies are 92% and 25% at 25 and 50 °C, respectively. Employment of anionic and neutral surfactants shows that the separation efficiency also depends on the interaction between the membranes and the emulsions.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055289966&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853

DO - 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01853

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85055289966

SN - 0024-9297

VL - 51

SP - 8435

EP - 8442

JO - Macromolecules

JF - Macromolecules

IS - 21

ER -

Thermoresponsive Membranes from Electrospun Mats with Switchable Wettability for Efficient Oil/Water Separations

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this