Polymers for Membrane Separation
1Northwest University, Xi'an, China
2Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
3CSIRO Manufacturing, Clayton, Australia
Polymers for Membrane Separation
Description
Membrane separation technology, as an efficient separation technology, has aroused tremendous research interest. Compared with traditional separation technology, it has many beneficial intrinsic characteristics, such as operation simplicity, low energetic requirement, high selectivity, and good stability, as well as being environmentally friendly. The key for membrane separation is the membrane material, of which there are mainly three kinds: organic membranes, inorganic membranes, and organic-inorganic hybrid membranes. At present, organic membranes (or polymer membranes) are dominant in industrial membrane equipment. A great deal of work has been done in finding polymeric membranes for many industrial processes, such as wastewater treatment, gas separation, and organic mixture separation. Therefore, it is essential to state the progress of polymeric membranes in recent years.
With the development of polymer science, many new theories, new characterization methods, and new structural and functional polymers have sprung up, and hence there is no doubt that the application of these polymer advances in membrane materials and operations is to be expected.
This special issue aims to present the development of fabrication techniques, structural design, characterization methods, and process design of polymer-based membranes, by which the contribution of polymer science and technology will provide a guided outlook for future membrane studies. Both original research and review articles are welcome.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Synthesis of novel functional polymers for membrane separation applications
- Fabrication and characterization of polymeric membranes
- Ion and molecule mass transfer mechanisms in polymeric membranes
- Process design of polymeric membrane modules
- Other applications of polymer membranes