Tailoring the nanoporous structure of polymer membranes for fast water permeation

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

A novel strategy of using a hydrophobic, charged polymer as an additive is proposed to tailor the wettability and charge density gradients in nanoporous polymer membranes for enhancing water permeation. The experimental results obtained in this project will advance our fundamental understanding of the roles of the pore surface charge and wettability gradients in water transport through nanopores. The proposed research is expected to result in a major breakthrough in designing nanoporous membranes with ultrahigh high flux and superior separation properties for a variety of applications including water treatment and food processing.