Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling

Basko, Andrey V.; Pochivalov, Konstantin V.; Lebedeva, Tatyana N.; Yurov, Mikhail Y.; Zabolotnov, Alexander S.; Gostev, Sergey S.; Yushkin, Alexey A.; Volkov, Alexey V.; Bronnikov, Sergei V.

doi:10.3390/polym17152044

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Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling

by

Andrey V. Basko

¹

,

Konstantin V. Pochivalov

^1,*

,

Tatyana N. Lebedeva

¹,

Mikhail Y. Yurov

¹,

Alexander S. Zabolotnov

²,

Sergey S. Gostev

²,

Alexey A. Yushkin

³

,

Alexey V. Volkov

³ and

Sergei V. Bronnikov

⁴

¹

G A Krestov Institute of Solution Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Akademicheskaya, 1, Ivanovo 153045, Russia

²

N N Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Kosygina, 4, Moscow 119991, Russia

³

A V Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninsky pr., 29-2, Moscow 119071, Russia

⁴

Branch of Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute” Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Bolshoy pr. of V.O., 31, Saint Petersburg 199004, Russia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Polymers 2025, 17(15), 2044; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152044 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 4 July 2025 / Revised: 22 July 2025 / Accepted: 23 July 2025 / Published: 26 July 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Trends in Polymer Membranes: Fabrication Technique, Characterization, Functionalization, and Applications in Environmental Science, 2nd Edition)

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Abstract

A recently proposed method called “controlled swelling of monolithic films” was implemented to prepare ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) ultrafiltration membranes. For the first time, the effect of UHMWPE molecular weight (MW) on the structure and properties of the membranes prepared via this special case of thermally induced phase separation was studied in detail. The morphology and properties of the membranes were studied using SEM, DSC, liquid–liquid displacement porometry, and standard methods for the evaluation of mechanical properties, permeance, rejection, and abrasion resistance. High-quality membranes with a tensile strength of 5.0–17.8 MPa, a mean pore size of 25–50 nm, permeance of 17–107 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹, rejection of model contaminant (blue dextran) of 72–98%, and great abrasion resistance can be prepared only if the MW of the polymer in the initial monolithic film is sufficiently high. The properties of the membranes can effectively be controlled by changing the MW of the polymer and the mass fraction of the latter in the swollen film. Shrinkage is responsible for the variation in the membrane properties. The membranes prepared from a higher-MW polymer are more prone to shrinking after the removal of the solvent. Shrinkage decreases before rising again and minimizes with an increase in the polymer content in the swollen film.

Keywords: ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene; swelling; ultrafiltration membrane; thermally induced phase separation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Basko, A.V.; Pochivalov, K.V.; Lebedeva, T.N.; Yurov, M.Y.; Zabolotnov, A.S.; Gostev, S.S.; Yushkin, A.A.; Volkov, A.V.; Bronnikov, S.V. Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling. Polymers 2025, 17, 2044. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152044

AMA Style

Basko AV, Pochivalov KV, Lebedeva TN, Yurov MY, Zabolotnov AS, Gostev SS, Yushkin AA, Volkov AV, Bronnikov SV. Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling. Polymers. 2025; 17(15):2044. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152044

Chicago/Turabian Style

Basko, Andrey V., Konstantin V. Pochivalov, Tatyana N. Lebedeva, Mikhail Y. Yurov, Alexander S. Zabolotnov, Sergey S. Gostev, Alexey A. Yushkin, Alexey V. Volkov, and Sergei V. Bronnikov. 2025. "Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling" Polymers 17, no. 15: 2044. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152044

APA Style

Basko, A. V., Pochivalov, K. V., Lebedeva, T. N., Yurov, M. Y., Zabolotnov, A. S., Gostev, S. S., Yushkin, A. A., Volkov, A. V., & Bronnikov, S. V. (2025). Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling. Polymers, 17(15), 2044. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17152044

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Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight on the Structure and Properties of Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene Membranes Prepared via Controlled Swelling

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