Tunable and switchable nanoparticle separation with thermo-responsive track-etched membranes prepared by controlled surface-initiated polymerization of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide).

ABSTRACT: This work describes how the control of grafting density and grafted chain length of a thermo-responsive polymer in membrane pores can be utilized to tune the pore size and the switchability of size-based selectivity in the ultrafiltration range. Using a previously established methodology for controlled synthesis, surface-initiated atom transfer polymerization (ATRP) of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) to the pore walls of poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes with experimentally determined pore diameters of 35 nm (PET30) and 110 nm (PET80) is performed. Characterization in this study is mainly done with filtration experiments, making use of the well-defined pore structure of the base membranes. It is demonstrated that both the gravimetrically determined degree of

SUBMITTER: Daumann K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9054401 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature