Surface Engineering of Polymer Membranes covers the processes that modify membrane surfaces to improve their in-service performance, meaning, to confer surface properties which are different from the bulk properties. Purposes may be to minimize fouling, modulate hydrophilicity/ hydrophobicity, enhance biocompatibility, create diffusion barriers, provide functionalities, mimic biomembranes, fabricate nanostructures, etc. First, the basics of surface engineering of polymer membranes are covered. Then topics such as surface modification by graft polymerization and macromolecule immobilization, biomimetic surfaces, enzyme immobilization, molecular recognition, and nanostructured surfaces are discussed. This book provides a unique synthesis of the knowledge of the role of surface chemistry and physics in membrane science. Dr. Zhikang Xu of the Institute of Polymer Science of Zhejiang University has eight Chinese patents and in 2006 was honored as a Distinguished Young Scholar by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC).

Surface Engineering of Polymer Membranes covers the processes that modify membrane surfaces to improve their in-service performance, meaning, to confer surface properties which are different from the bulk properties. Purposes may be to minimize fouling, modulate hydrophilicity/ hydrophobicity, enhance biocompatibility, create diffusion barriers, provide functionalities, mimic biomembranes, fabricate nanostructures, etc. First, the basics of surface engineering of polymer membranes are covered. Then topics such as surface modification by graft polymerization and macromolecule immobilization, biomimetic surfaces, enzyme immobilization, molecular recognition, and nanostructured surfaces are discussed. This book provides a unique synthesis of the knowledge of the role of surface chemistry and physics in membrane science. Dr. Zhikang Xu of the Institute of Polymer Science of Zhejiang University has eight Chinese patents and in 2006 was honored as a Distinguished Young Scholar by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC).

Researchers in polymeric membranes as well as R&D professionals will find this work an essential addition to the literature. It concentrates on the method recently developed to study the surfaces of synthetic polymeric membranes using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), which is fast becoming a very important tool. Each chapter includes information on basic principles, commercial applications, an overview of current research and guidelines for future research.

Synthetic membranes have been frequently used for many fields, such as, the food and beverage, biopharmaceutical, and biofuel industries. In the beer industry, microfiltration frequently suffers from fouling due to the interaction between different species. It is shown that polyphenols can form cross-links with protein molecules, forming insoluble aggregates. However, by adding an optimal amount of polysaccharides these aggregates can be disrupted thus reducing fouling by the aggregates. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) is a powerful technique to locate the foulants inside the wet membrane in order to understand more about the behavior of fouling in microfiltration. Membrane surface modification is used to impart desirable membrane surface properties. Here membrane surface modification is used to develop membrane adsorbers for protein purification. Hydrophobic interaction membrane chromatography (HIMC) has gained interest due to its excellent performance in purification humanized monoclonal antibodies. HIMC affords all the advantages of membrane adsorbers, which is dynamic capacities that are independent of flow rate, higher throughput and easy to scale up. Unique inverse colloidal crystal (ICC) membranes were developed with highly periodic structures, high porosity, and fully interconnected pores. ICC membranes offer a very high binding capacity for IgG4. On the other hand, salt responsive membranes were developed by grafting responsive ligand, poly vinylcaprolactam (PVCL), from the surface of the membrane by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The nanostructure can vary its conformation and hydrophobicity when the temperature changes. After modification, membrane is able to provide a very high recovery and yield. Membrane modification is also well applied for biofuel industry. Duel nanostructures, poly styrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) and poly ionic liquid (PIL) were grafted separately and neighborly from the surface of ceramic membrane substrate by control ATRP and UV initiated radical polymerization. Modified membrane substrates were challenged with cellulose and corn-stovers biomass hydrolysis in pure ionic liquid (IL) and mixture of IL and co-solvent. High yield in total reducing sugar (TRS), 95% and 60% for cellulose and corn-stovers biomass respectively, indicates strong activity of polymeric solid acid catalysts.

Biomaterials work in contact with living matter and this gives a number of specific requirements for their surface properties, such as bioinertness or bioactivity, antibiofouling, and so on. Surface engineering based on physical, chemical, physical-chemical, biochemical or biological principles is important for the preparation of biomaterials with the desired biocontact properties. This book helps the reader gain the knowledge to enable them to work in such a rapidly developing area, with a comprehensive list of references given for each chapter. Strategies for tailoring the biological response through the creation of biomaterial surfaces resistant to fouling are discussed. Methods of eliciting specific biomolecular interactions that can be further combined with patterning techniques to engineer adhesive areas in a noninteractive background are also covered. The theoretical basis of surface engineering for improvement of biocontact properties of polymeric biomaterials as well as the current state-of-the-art of the surface engineering of polymeric biomaterials are presented. The book also includes information on the most used conventional and advanced surface engineering methods. The book is targeted at researchers, post-doctorates, graduate students, and those already working in the field of biomaterials with a special interest in the creation of polymeric materials with improved biocontact properties via surface engineering.

Nanomaterial and Polymer Membranes: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications presents a unique collection of up-to-date polymeric nanomaterial membranes. The book offers a perfect source to document state-of-the-art developments and innovations in nanocomposite membranes, ranging from materials development and characterization of properties to membrane applications. The book discusses applications that encompass the enhancement of sorption and degradation processes and their usage for the removal of different pollutants, including heavy metals, dyes, pesticides, and other organic and inorganic pollutants from the industry. Presents a powerful single source for the development of new, rapid, and highly efficient membrane composites Offers a perfect source to document state-of-the-art developments and innovations in nanocomposite membranes, ranging from materials development and characterization of properties to membrane applications Covers applications in membrane science, water treatment, and the removal of pollutants from waste water Provides theoretical and practical information about the synthesis and application of polymeric nanocomposite membranes Includes instructor support material available at textbooks.elsevier.com