Ongoing phase separation inside hollow fiber membranes via non-solvent induced phase separation

Influence of the formed interface during preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) blend cation exchange membrane on the electro-chemical properties and performance

Estimation of phase separation temperatures for polyethersulfone/solvent/non-solvent systems in RTIPS and membrane properties

Self-assembly of TiO2 nanoparticles around the pores of PES ultrafiltration membrane for mitigating organic fouling

Simultaneous enhancement of porosity and thermal stability in hydroxyethyl cellulose membranes via malic acid incorporation and non-solvent induced phase separation.

Modulation of the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of polyvinylidene fluoride scaffold via non-solvent induced phase separation process for nerve tissue engineering applications

The blend polyethersulfone (PES)/cellulose acetate (CA) flat‐sheet microporous membranes were prepared by reverse thermally induced phase separation (RTIPS) process. The effects of CA content and coagulation bath temperature on membrane structures and properties were investigated in terms of membrane morphology, water contact angle, permeation performance, and mechanical properties. The cloud point results indicated that the cloud point decreased with the increasing content of CA. When the coagulation bath temperature was lower than the cloud point, the membrane formation process underwent nonsolvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process and dense skin layer and finger‐like structure were formed in membranes. These membranes had lower pure water flux and poor mechanical properties. But when the coagulation bath temperature was higher than the cloud point, the membrane formation process underwent RTIPS process. The porous top surface as well as porous cross‐section of the membranes were formed. Therefore, high pure water flux and good mechanical properties were obtained. The contact angles results indicated that the hydrophilicity of the prepared membranes improved obviously with the addition of CA. When the content of CA was 0.5 wt% and the membrane formation temperature was 323K, the PES/CA microporous membrane which was prepared via the RTIPS process displayed a optimal permeability of the pure water flux of 816 L m−2 h−1 and the BSA rejection rate of 49.5%, which showed an increase of 48.9% and 23.6% than that of pure PES membrane, respectively. Moreover, the mechanical strengths of the membranes obtained by RTIPS process were better than those membranes prepared by NIPS process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:180–191, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane was modified by silica sol in the coagulation bath during non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. The effects of silica sol concentrations on the morphology, surface property, mechanical strength and separation property of PVC UF membranes were systematically investigated. PVC membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle goniometry and tensile strength measurement. The results showed that silica had been successfully assembled on the surface of PVC UF membrane. With the increase of silica sol concentration in the coagulation bath, the morphologies of PVC UF membranes changed from cavity structure to finger-like pore structure and asymmetric cross-section structure. The hydrophilicity and permeability of PVC UF membranes were further evaluated. When silica sol concentration was 20 wt.%, the modified PVC membrane exhibited the highest hydrophilicity with a static contact angle of 36.5 degree and permeability of 91.8 (L.m-2.h-1). The structure of self-assemble silica had significant impact on the surface property, morphology, mechanical strength and resultant separation performance of the PVC membranes.

Poly (l-Lactic acid)/silk fibroin composite membranes with improved crystallinity and thermal stability from non-solvent induced phase separation processes involving hexafluoroisopropanol

Preparation of bi-continuous macroporous polyamide copolymer membranes for cell culture

Strategy to prepare skin-free and macrovoid-free polysulfone membranes via the NIPS process

Nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) is a popular method for creating polymeric particles with internal microstructure, but many fundamental questions remain surrounding the kinetics of the complex coupled mass transfer and phase separation processes. In this work, we use simulations of a phase-field model to examine how (i) finite domain boundaries of a polymer droplet and (ii) solvent/nonsolvent miscibility affect the NIPS process. To isolate the effects of phase separation kinetics and solvent/nonsolvent mass transfer on the NIPS process, we study two different cases. First, we investigate droplet concentrations that originate inside the two-phase region, where phase separation kinetics alone governs the microstructure. Second, we investigate the effects of solvent/nonsolvent mass transfer by studying droplet concentrations that begin outside the two-phase region, where both phase separation kinetics and mass transfer play a role. In both cases, we find that qualitative NIPS behavior is a strong function of the relative location of the initial droplet composition with respect to the phase diagram. We also find that polymer/nonsolvent miscibility competes with solvent/nonsolvent miscibility in driving NIPS kinetic behavior. Finally, we examine polymer droplets undergoing solvent/nonsolvent exchange and find that the model predicts droplets that shrink with nearly Fickian diffusion kinetics. We conclude with a brief perspective on the state of simulations of NIPS processes and some recommendations for future work.

Microarchitecture of poly(lactic acid) membranes with an interconnected network of macropores and micropores influences cell behavior

Performance improvement of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane containing variform inorganic nano-additives

Ethaline deep eutectic solvent as a hydrophilic additive in modification of polyethersulfone membrane for antifouling and separation improvement

Metal-organic framework/zeolite nanocrystal/polyvinylidene fluoride composite ultrafiltration membranes with flux/antifouling advantages