Precise nanofiltration in a fouling-resistant self-assembled membrane with water-continuous transport pathways.

ABSTRACT: Self-assembled materials are attractive for next-generation membranes. However, the need to align self-assembled nanostructures (e.g. cylinders, lamellae) and the narrow stability windows for ordered bicontinuous systems present serious challenges. We propose and demonstrate a novel approach that circumvents these challenges by exploiting size-selective transport in the water-continuous medium of a nanostructured polymer templated from a self-assembled lyotropic H₁ mesophase. Optimization of the mesophase composition enables high-fidelity retention of the H₁ structure on photoinduced cross-linking. The resulting material is a mechanically robust nanostructured polymer possessing internally and externally cross-linked nanofibrils surrounded by a continuous aqueous medi

SUBMITTER: Feng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6688870 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature