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Effect of PET Support Membrane Thickness on Water Permeation Behavior of Thermally Responsive PNIPAM-g-PET Membranes

Wu, Leyao
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564526575831696

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, Polymer Engineering.
In this study, a KrF excimer laser was used at 248 nm wavelength to fabricate support membranes and the final PNIPAM pore-filled thermally responsive PET membranes using a novel continuous two-step operation. Four different thickness (50, 75, 100, 125 μm) PET membranes were perforated using excimer laser ablation and 3 different mesh masks with 25, 31 and 43 μm opening sizes. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the ablated support membranes were elucidated using optical microscopy and micro-CT. Proper combinations of laser operational parameters (energy fluence, number of pulses, pulse frequency) and mesh size for each thickness membrane were determined based on energy required for perforation, average pore size and morphological observations. Temperature responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel was grafted in membrane pores through pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) at 3 progressive grafting density values induced by different numbers of laser pulses. Membranes with 4 thicknesses and 4 grafting conditions (1 ungrafted and 3 grafted) for each thickness were characterized using water permeation test to yield 6-orders of magnitude membrane water permeability coefficients. Permeation behavior and thermal response were found for all 4 thicknesses of membranes at grafted state, and the permeation result displayed a decreasing trend in permeability coefficient with increasing thickness, while thermal response displayed an increasing trend with increasing thickness at higher grafting density state. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was utilized to characterize the surface and pore grafting phenomena on membranes of different thicknesses under varied grafting conditions. Our results indicate that the film thickness has little or no effect on kinetics of PLP for given laser operation parameters, when grafting polymerization is performed on the PNIPEM monomer pool at the bottom of the support membrane which is polymerized upwards through the pores using excimer laser irradiation directed from the top of the pores. Thus, our results reveal that similar crosslink structure is obtained in PNIPAM grafted in the pores of different thickness support membranes when using the same PLP conditions.
Erol Sancaktar (Advisor)
Sadhan Jana (Committee Chair)
Chrys Wesdemiotis (Committee Member)
68 p.
Polymers

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wu, L. (2019). Effect of PET Support Membrane Thickness on Water Permeation Behavior of Thermally Responsive PNIPAM-g-PET Membranes [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564526575831696

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wu, Leyao. Effect of PET Support Membrane Thickness on Water Permeation Behavior of Thermally Responsive PNIPAM-g-PET Membranes . 2019. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564526575831696.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wu, Leyao. "Effect of PET Support Membrane Thickness on Water Permeation Behavior of Thermally Responsive PNIPAM-g-PET Membranes ." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1564526575831696

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1564526575831696
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© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.