Abstract

Combination of polymeric hydrogel and porous membranes, which leads to composites displaying the synergic properties of both membrane and gel layer, has been increasingly prevalent in the field of membrane separations [1]. Among different preparation methods, photo-initiated grafting of hydrogel onto a porous support has a much interest due to mild reaction conditions and selectivity to absorb UV light without affecting the bulk polymer [2]. In this work, preparation of hydrogel composites based on polymeric membranes, via photo-initiated graft polymerization, has been investigated, with the aim to develop novel membranes comprising an optimized porous support and a thin hydrogel layer with tailored chemical composition, controlled mesh size, and engineered surface morphology [3]. Several combination of monomers and cross-linkers, displaying variable chemical functionalities, were investigated for hydrogel preparation; furthermore, hydrophobic or hydrophilic membranes, like polypropylene and polyethersulfone, were used as support. The effect of monomer concentration, monomer mixture composition and UV irradiation time on composites preparation has been studied. The performance of prepared hydrogel membranes were evaluated in membrane distillation (MD) and membrane crystallization (MCr) applications for water desalination and for both proteins crystallization and in the biomimetic synthesis of advanced materials. In MD, composite membranes were characterized in terms of transmembrane flux, rejection, and stability over long time operation; in MCr of proteins, hydrogel composite membranes were used as heterogeneous growing media to provide the suitable environment for the formation of crystals with greater size, fewer effects and enhanced diffraction properties; furthermore the same composites were used as platform for the biomimetic synthesis of calcium based mineral layers to develop new routes conductive to hybrid structures with hierarchical architectures.In addition to the general performances of hydrogel membranes in both MD and MCr applications, these composites show the potentiality to tailor the chemical functionalization of the gel layer and its surface nanostructure and morphology, thus providing new routes to adapt its application to special cases.

Autore Pugliese

• Caliandro Rocco

Tutti gli autori

• Majidi Salehi S.; Belviso B. D.; Caliandro R.; Nicoletta F. P.; Fontananova E.; Curcio E.; Drioli E.; Di Profio G.

Titolo volume/Rivista

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Anno di pubblicazione

2015

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ISBN

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Settori ERC

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