Polymer Membranes for Molecular Sieving in Organic Solvents(Parallel Session II)

Organic solvents are extensively used across numerous industrial sectors. Membranes offer an energy-efficient way for separations in organic solvents. These membranes must be stable under harsh conditions, have high selectivity and permeance. Therefore, there is a need to develop advanced membrane materials, which mainly relies on polymer materials. Approaches for bridging the gap between the polymer matrix and fillers in mixed matrix membranes (MMM) will be discussed. The development of new polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) as well as their blending to obtain solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes will be introduced. To address environmental concerns related to membrane preparation, green and sustainable materials that promise to replace fossil-based separation materials, and reduce waste generation are attracting considerable research attention. On one hand, the monomers need to be reactive to form a highly crosslinked thin film. On the other hand, one of the monomers need to be soluble in polar solvents, while the other monomer need to be soluble in a non-polar solvent, which is immiscible with the selected polar solvent. Our group has been exploring various green sources to fabricate solvent-resistant nanofiltration membranes. The design of sustainable thin-film composite (TFC) membranes via interfacial polymerization of green building blocks will be presented.

Speakers

Gyorgy Szekely

KAUST

KAUST Research Centers

KCC Research Groups