Self-Assembled Membranes and their Applications

Abstract

Self-assembled membranes have gained a lot of attention in the scientific community. They offer a simple and cheap way to form membranes that serves specific purposes like water filtration, drug delivery, anti-glare coatings, dielectrics, scaffold tissue engineering, etc. Polymers are the most popular choice for making self-assembled membranes, however there are other available options like proteins, small molecules, etc. Each new method/material offers certain advantages and disadvantages. Polymer membranes are strong and durable, but offer low porosity. Other materials like proteins degrade quickly. Hybrid materials are thus synthesized to combine the advantageous properties of materials and form self-assembled membranes. It is difficult to obtain membranes that are thin, sturdy and long lasting. New materials are being synthesized. However, materials that already exist can also serve well enough. A different perspective is needed to look into current materials and put them into good use. Self-assembled membranes offer a lot of potential uses and a lot of research is being pursued in this regard.