Polymers with cavities tuned for fast selective transport of small molecules and ions
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Date
2007-10-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Abstract
Within a polymer film, free-volume elements such as pores and channels typically have a wide range of sizes and topologies. This broad range of free-volume element sizes compromises a polymer's ability to perform molecular separations. We demonstrated free-volume structures in dense vitreous polymers that enable outstanding molecular and ionic transport and separation performance that surpasses the limits of conventional polymers. The unusual microstructure in these materials can be systematically tailored by thermally driven segment rearrangement. Free-volume topologies can be tailored by controlling the degree of rearrangement, flexibility of the original chain, and judicious inclusion of small templating molecules. This rational tailoring of free-volume element architecture provides a route for preparing high-performance polymers for molecular-scale separations. © 2007, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Description
Keywords
Polymers, Molecules, Transport, Microstructure, Ions, Cavities
Citation
Park, H. B., Jung, C. H., Lee, Y. M., Hill, A. J., Pas, S. J., Mudie, S. T., van Wagner, E., Freeman, B. D., & Cookson, D. J. (2007). Polymers with cavities tuned for fast selective transport of small molecules and ions. Science, 318(5848), 254-258. doi:10.1126/science.1146744