Leveraging resist chemistry research for water purification membrane technology

Abstract

This paper gives examples of the connection of new research on water purificiation membranes to earlier research on resist chemistry. Two new membrane materials are reported here. The first is a reverse osmosis desalination membrane material based on a new hexafluoro alcohol-modified aromatic polyamide. This polymer is made in a reactive casting operation using interfacial polycondensation. The membrane has intriguing performance with pH-dependent properties. The second membrane presented here is designed to have fouling resistance. We found through the course of this work that the material had intrinsic nanofiltration properties and data is presented that supports this finding. Research experiences in high performance functional materials can accelerate new efforts in other areas of technology, in this case sustainability. © 2010 CPST.