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The Use of Different Templates for the Synthesis of Reproducible Mesoporous Titania Thin Films and Small Pore Ultrafiltration Membranes
Author(s) -
Herregods Sebastiaan Johan Frans,
Wyns Kenny,
Buekenhoudt Anita,
Meynen Vera
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced engineering materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 114
eISSN - 1527-2648
pISSN - 1438-1656
DOI - 10.1002/adem.201900603
Subject(s) - membrane , materials science , template , mesoporous material , chemical engineering , porosity , ultrafiltration (renal) , sol gel , nanotechnology , chromatography , organic chemistry , composite material , chemistry , catalysis , biochemistry , engineering
State‐of‐the‐art commercial membranes are made with the sol–gel method. But the pore size is somewhat restricted to control in a reproducible way. Furthermore, the synthesis of uniform pores via the sol–gel method is challenging, and therefore the resulting membranes often exhibit a limited selectivity. In contrast, the template‐assisted method (evaporation‐induced self‐assembly) described herein is able to form defect‐free membranes and thin films with more narrow pore size distributions and thus sharper cutoff curves in a more reproducible way. Moreover, the effect of different templates (Brij 58, Brij 56, Brij 78, Brij 76) and concentrations on the porosity of the titania top layer and separation performance is thoroughly investigated. The pore formation mechanism of the template‐assisted method is discussed. Under the synthesis conditions described herein, the Brij templates act as a separator, whereby the final pore size can be easily controlled by adjusting the amount of template used. Furthermore, the pores obtained with this template‐assisted method are more uniform. Such defect‐free, reproducible small pore ultrafiltration membranes with controllable pore size and narrow pore size distribution can open the path to further process intensification and more sustainable production by separating molecules with a small difference in molecular weight.