| TECHNOLOGY |
Authors "are harnessing the unique properties of block copolymers" to prepare thin, nonporous coatings for porous membranes to provide them with an antifoulant surface. One segment of the copolymer is "water loving," and this segment is connected to a polymer chain that's not water soluble.
"The polymer chains self-assemble to form a nanostructured, nonporous coating containing highly hydrophilic channels imbedded in a strong matrix." "The coating is highly permeable to water but not to particulate matter." With proper selection of the polymer coating, separation properties may be tuned, for example, to reject oil droplets in treating oily wastewater such as bilge water." The technology is designed to be easily integrated into the existing membrane manufacturing process, he says.
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