Precise Nanostructured Membranes

Thermally-driven chemical separations account for a staggering >10% of U.S. power consumption alone, contributing >100 M annual metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Membrane separations have the potential to greatly reduce this energetic burden and increase process tunability, though large gaps exist for designing highly selective membranes without sacrificing permeability.

Our lab studies a novel class of nanoporous membranes, fabricated from self assembled materials, including liquid crystalline surfactant mesophases and block copolymers. Polymerization of the surfactants results in a permanent nanoscale pore space with wide tunability in both nanoscale dimensions and surface chemistry. We use a combination of materials characterization, soft matter physics, and macroscopic filtration measurements to elucidate the fundamental interplay between nanoscale confinement, surface chemistry, and molecular transport. These insights suggest new avenues to enhance key chemical processes, including desalination, contaminant filtration, and organic solvent separations.