Engineering Research Equipment Grant: Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer for the Characterization of SeparationMembranes

根据该合同购买的傅里叶变换红外光谱仪（FTIR）衰减全反射（ATR）能力将主要用于三个项目：(1)测定气体分离用薄膜复合膜的厚度；(2)测定生物分离用薄凝胶复合膜的交联密度及其随深度的变化；(3)测定界面缩聚机理。后两个项目是利用ATR-FTIR光谱深度剖面能力的新应用。薄膜，溶液扩散，复合膜是一个有吸引力的和通用的替代整体蒙皮不对称膜。原位、界面缩聚是制备选择性膜的一种方法，已被用于制备反渗透复合膜。目前用于生产气体分离用薄膜复合膜和薄凝胶复合膜。ATR-FTIR功能将大大提高在这些项目中工作的团队的生产力。

The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) capability purchased with this award will be used primarily for three projects: (1) thickness determination of thin-film composite membranes for gas separations, (2) determination of crosslink density and its variation with depth for thin-gel composite membranes for bioseparations, and (3) determination of the mechanisms of interfacial polycondensation. The latter two projects are novel applications that take advantage of the depth-profiling capability of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Thin film, solution-diffusion, composite membranes are an attractive and versatile alternative to integrally-skinned asymmetric membranes. In-situ, interfacial polycondensation is one method of producing the selective film and has been used to produce composite membranes for reverse osmosis. It is currently being used to produce thin-film composite membranes for gas separations and thin-gel composite membranes. The ATR-FTIR capabilities will greatly improve the productivity of the group working on these projects.