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Interface Science and Mass Transfer in Polymer-Based Separation Membranes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 920

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Membranes play a pivotal role in advanced separations, offering versatile applications across industries such as food, medicine, biology, environmental protection, chemical industry, metallurgy, energy, petroleum, water treatment, electronics, and bionics. However, the performance and functionality of membranes are significantly influenced by interfacial phenomena and mass transfer processes. Understanding and controlling these aspects are critical for further advancing membrane-based separation processes.

This Special Issue aims to present cutting-edge research on interfacial interactions, mass transfer mechanisms, and their impact on the design, fabrication, and application of membranes. We welcome original research articles and reviews addressing key topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Advanced characterization techniques for interfacial phenomena in membrane separation;
  • Modeling and simulation approaches for mass transfer in porous membranes;
  • Innovations in membrane materials, fabrication methods, and surface modification;
  • Applications of interfacial engineering in membranes;
  • Advanced understanding and characterization of mass transport in porous membranes.

Through this Special Issue, we aim to highlight fundamental advances and practical strategies for improving membrane performance and enabling significant advancements in energy-efficient separations. Researchers are encouraged to contribute their insights to advance knowledge in this field.

Prof. Dr. Gang Han
Guest Editor

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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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

  • membranes
  • surface modification
  • interfacial technology
  • mass transfer

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 4745 KiB  
Article
Synthesis and Characterization of Cellulose Acetate/Polyethylene Glycol/Poly(Styrene)-b-Poly(4-Vinylpyridine) Membrane Embedded with Hydrotermaly Activated TiO2 Nanoparticles for Waste-Waters Treatment by Membrane Processes
by Simona Căprărescu, Grațiela Teodora Tihan, Roxana Gabriela Zgârian, Alexandru Mihai Grumezescu, Carmen Lazau, Cornelia Bandas, Leonard Ionuț Atanase and Cristian-Andi Nicolae
Polymers 2025, 17(4), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17040446 - 8 Feb 2025
Viewed by 805
Abstract
This study investigated the properties of a novel polymeric membrane based on cellulose acetate, polyethylene glycol/poly(styrene)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine), and embedded with TiO2 nanoparticles (CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2 membrane) obtained by wet-phase inversion method. The TiO2 nanoparticles fabricated by a hydrothermal method [...] Read more.
This study investigated the properties of a novel polymeric membrane based on cellulose acetate, polyethylene glycol/poly(styrene)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine), and embedded with TiO2 nanoparticles (CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2 membrane) obtained by wet-phase inversion method. The TiO2 nanoparticles fabricated by a hydrothermal method were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, and UV-Vis analyses to determine the purity, morphology, and optical band gap energy. The prepared polymeric membranes with and without TiO2 nanoparticles (CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2 and CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381 membranes) were characterized by FTIR, SEM, EDXS, and TGA to observe the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles added to the polymeric membrane matrix and to analyze the chemical structure, morphology, and thermal stability of the obtained polymeric membranes. The contact angle, SFE, water retention, and porosity were also determined. The results showed that adding the TiO2 nanoparticles into the polymeric membrane (CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2) significantly reduced the pore size and the water contact angle, increasing the water retention and the porosity. The lower value of the water contact angle of 15.57 ± 0.45° for the CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2 membrane indicates a pronounced hydrophilic character. The investigations performed showed that the CA/PEG/PS154-b-P4VP381/TiO2 membrane presents excellent properties and can be a promising material for water and waste-water treatment through membrane processes (e.g., electrodialysis, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis) in the future. Full article
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