Abstract
Amphiphilic diblock and triblock copolymers are interesting candidates for membranes with controlled pore size and functionality, which can be applied for ultra- or nanofiltration. In this presentation the preparation of so-called integral asymmetric isoporous block copolymer membranes by self-assembly in combination with the non-solvent induced phase separation (SNIPS) will be discussed for flat sheet and hollow fiber geometry. Different approaches to reduce the minimum of required amount of block copolymer for membrane preparation will be presented, such as spraying or coating.
The influence of different processing parameters like concentration of the block copolymer in the casting or dope solution, the choice of solvent mixture, and the evaporation time before immersion of the block copolymer solution film or fiber into the immersion will be discussed. Also the possibility to apply an external field such as an electric field directing the orientation of the forming pores in the membrane will be shown.
