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New Advances in Polymer-Based Membranes

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Membranes and Films".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2024) | Viewed by 5853

Special Issue Editors

School of Chemistry, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China
Interests: membrane separations; nanofiltration membrane preparation; intelligent and functional membrane materials; cyclodextrin chemistry
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Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
Interests: membrane separations; nanofibers; membrane pore mark

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membranes have found an important place in chemical technology and are used in a broad range of applications. Most applications refer to concentration, purification, and fractionation. However, in recent decades, much research has been devoted to new materials, and polymeric membranes are required to solve the energy and environmental crisis; nevertheless, there is still a long way to go.

Membranes are not merely the subject of significant research. Even though polymeric membranes suffer from the permeability and selectivity trade-off effect, research groups are investigating novel design and synthesis strategies, modeling, and applications on polymeric membranes aiming at breaking the limitations. This indicates that the field sparks the curiosity and interest of various membrane separation experts for enhanced separation efficiency and prospective applications.

Dr. Nan Li
Prof. Dr. Zhao Dai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • polymeric membrane material modification
  • polymeric membrane preparation
  • polymeric membrane processes
  • polymeric membrane simulation
  • polymeric membrane applications

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2565 KiB  
Article
Surface Evolution of Polymer Films Grown by Vapor Deposition: Growth of Local and Global Slopes of Interfaces
by Jungyu Shin and I. J. Lee
Polymers 2024, 16(11), 1535; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16111535 - 29 May 2024
Viewed by 462
Abstract
The kinetic roughening of polymer films grown by vapor deposition polymerization was analyzed using the widely accepted classification framework of “generic scaling ansatz” given for the structure factor. Over the past two decades, this method has played a pivotal role in classifying diverse [...] Read more.
The kinetic roughening of polymer films grown by vapor deposition polymerization was analyzed using the widely accepted classification framework of “generic scaling ansatz” given for the structure factor. Over the past two decades, this method has played a pivotal role in classifying diverse forms of dynamic scaling and understanding the mechanisms driving interface roughening. The roughness exponents of the polymer films were consistently determined as α=1.25±0.09, αloc=0.73±0.02, and αs=0.99±0.06. However, the inability to unambiguously assign these roughness exponent values to a specific scaling subclass prompts the proposal of a practical alternative. This report illustrates how all potential dynamic scaling can be consistently identified and classified based on the relationship between two temporal scaling exponents measured in real space: the average local slope and the global slope of the interface. The intrinsic anomalous roughening class is conclusively assigned to polymer film growth characterized by anomalous “native (background slope-removed) local height fluctuations”. Moreover, the new analysis reveals that interfaces exhibiting anomalous scaling, previously classified as intrinsic anomalous roughening, could potentially belong to the super-rough class, particularly when the spectral roughness exponent αs is equal to 1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Polymer-Based Membranes)
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14 pages, 4548 KiB  
Article
Analysis and Prediction of Electrospun Nanofiber Diameter Based on Artificial Neural Network
by Ming Ma, Huchen Zhou, Suhan Gao, Nan Li, Wenjuan Guo and Zhao Dai
Polymers 2023, 15(13), 2813; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15132813 - 25 Jun 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1825
Abstract
Electrospinning technology enables the fabrication of electrospun nanofibers with exceptional properties, which are highly influenced by their diameter. This work focuses on the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to obtain PAN nanofibers under different processing conditions. The morphology and size of the resulting PAN [...] Read more.
Electrospinning technology enables the fabrication of electrospun nanofibers with exceptional properties, which are highly influenced by their diameter. This work focuses on the electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to obtain PAN nanofibers under different processing conditions. The morphology and size of the resulting PAN nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the corresponding diameter data were measured using Nano Measure 1.2 software. The processing conditions and corresponding nanofiber diameter data were then inputted into an artificial neural network (ANN) to establish the relationship between the electrospinning process parameters (polymer concentration, applied voltage, collecting distance, and solution flow rate), and the diameter of PAN nanofibers. The results indicate that the polymer concentration has the greatest influence on the diameter of PAN nanofibers. The developed neural network prediction model provides guidance for the preparation of PAN nanofibers with specific dimensions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Polymer-Based Membranes)
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Review

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32 pages, 14255 KiB  
Review
Development of Support Layers and Their Impact on the Performance of Thin Film Composite Membranes (TFC) for Water Treatment
by Qing Zhang, Rui Zhou, Xue Peng, Nan Li and Zhao Dai
Polymers 2023, 15(15), 3290; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15153290 - 3 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3015
Abstract
Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have gained significant attention as an appealing membrane technology due to their reversible fouling and potential cost-effectiveness. Previous studies have predominantly focused on improving the selective layers to enhance membrane performance. However, the importance of improving the support layers [...] Read more.
Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have gained significant attention as an appealing membrane technology due to their reversible fouling and potential cost-effectiveness. Previous studies have predominantly focused on improving the selective layers to enhance membrane performance. However, the importance of improving the support layers has been increasingly recognized. Therefore, in this review, preparation methods for the support layer, including the traditional phase inversion method and the electrospinning (ES) method, as well as the construction methods for the support layer with a polyamide (PA) layer, are analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of the support layers on the performance of the TFC membrane is presented. This review aims to encourage the exploration of suitable support membranes to enhance the performance of TFC membranes and extend their future applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Advances in Polymer-Based Membranes)
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