Thermo‐Responsive Ultrafiltration Block Copolymer Membranes Based on Polystyrene‐block‐poly(diethyl acrylamide)

Thermo‐Responsive Ultrafiltration Block Copolymer Membranes Based on Polystyrene‐block‐poly(diethyl acrylamide)

Abstract Within the present work, a thermo‐responsive ultrafiltration membrane is manufactured based on a polystyrene‐block‐poly(diethyl acrylamide) block copolymer (BCP). The poly(diethyl acrylamide) block segment features a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water, similar to the well‐k...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Florian V. Frieß, Frank Hartmann, Lea Gemmer, Jens Pieschel, Bart‐Jan Niebuur, Matthias Faust, Tobias Kraus, Volker Presser, Markus Gallei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2023-11-01
Series:Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
Subjects:
anionic polymerization
block copolymers
LCST polymers
membranes
self‐assembly
stimuli‐responsive polymers
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202300113
Description
Summary:Abstract Within the present work, a thermo‐responsive ultrafiltration membrane is manufactured based on a polystyrene‐block‐poly(diethyl acrylamide) block copolymer (BCP). The poly(diethyl acrylamide) block segment features a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) in water, similar to the well‐known poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide), but having increased biocompatibility and without exhibiting a hysteresis of the thermally induced switching behavior. The BCP is synthesized via sequential “living” anionic polymerization protocols and analyzed by 1H‐NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography, and differential scanning calorimetry. The resulting morphology in the bulk state is investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) revealing the intended hexagonal cylindrical morphology. The BCPs form micelles in a binary mixture of tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide, where BCP composition and solvent affinities are discussed in light of the expected structure of these micelles and the resulting BCP membrane formation. The membranes are manufactured using the non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process and are characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water permeation measurements. The latter are carried out at room temperature and at 50 °C revealing up to a 23‐fold increase of the permeance, when crossing the LCST of the poly(diethyl acrylamide) block segment in water.
ISSN:1438-7492
1439-2054

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