Thin film composite forward osmosis membranes with performance enhancing layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10005042-B2
Application number	US-201514623313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2015
Priority date	Feb 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

A thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane includes a porous support with surfaces having thereon a hydrophilic self-assembled monolayer. An active layer on the support is sufficiently dense to remove an ionic species from a liquid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thin film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membrane, comprising:
a porous support comprising a plurality of pores extending from one face to an opposite face thereof, wherein the pores in the support comprise surfaces having thereon a hydrophilic self-assembled monolayer, wherein the self-assembled monolayer comprises hydrophilic-functionalized star polymers, the star polymers comprising a central core and at least 6 polymeric arms covalently attached to the central core; and
an active layer on the support, wherein the active layer comprises a material capable of removing an ionic species from a liquid.

2. The TFC membrane of claim 1 , wherein the star polymers comprise hydrophilic arms.

3. The TFC membrane of claim 1 , wherein the hydrophilic-functionalized star polymers are crosslinked.

4. The TFC membrane of claim 1 , wherein the active layer comprises a cross-linked aromatic polyamide film.

5. The TFC membrane of claim 1 , wherein the porous support comprises a polysulfone.

6. The TFC membrane of claim 2 , wherein the hydrophilic arms of the star polymers comprise positively charged moieties, neutral hydrophilic moieties, negatively charged moieties, zwitterionic moieties, or combinations thereof.

7. The TFC membrane of claim 6 , wherein the positively charged moiety is selected from ammonium ions and their neutral precursors.

8. The TFC membrane of claim 6 , wherein the negatively charged moiety is selected from carboxylates, phosphates sulfonates, sulfinates, sulfonamides, and imides.

9. The TFC membrane of claim 6 , wherein the neutral hydrophilic moiety is selected from the group consisting of zwitterions, hydroxylalkylesters, hydroxylakylamide, polyethlyene oxide (PEO), and combination of thereof.

10. A thin film composite (TFC) membrane, comprising:
a porous support comprising a plurality of pores extending from one face to an opposite face thereof, wherein at least some of the pores in the support comprise surfaces having thereon a hydrophilic layer comprising functionalized star polymers, the star polymers comprising a central core and at least 6 polymeric arms covalently attached to the central core; and
an active layer on the support, wherein the active layer comprises a layer of a polyamide, a plurality of layers of a star polymer, and combinations thereof.

11. The TFC membrane of claim 10 , wherein the star polymer in the hydrophilic layer comprises a nanogel core and at least one amino-functional arm attached to the nanogel core.

12. The TFC membrane of claim 10 , wherein the hydrophilic layer comprises the star polymer of the formula below:

wherein, R 0 is a homopolymer or random copolymer with monomeric units selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy and combinations thereof; R 1 is selected from the group consisting of OCH 2 CH 2 OH and O-(PEG)-OCH 3 , with PEG representing poly(ethylene glycol); 0≤x≤1; k is greater than or equal to about 6; and n is greater than about 10.

13. The TFC membrane of claim 10 , wherein the hydrophilic layer comprises a star polymer with a nanogel core to which at least one carboxyl-functional arm is attached.

14. The TFC membrane of claim 10 , wherein the hydrophilic layer comprises the star polymer of the formula below:

wherein, R0 is a homopolymer or a random copolymer with monomeric units selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, and combinations thereof; k is greater than or equal to about 6, R1 is selected from the group consisting of COOH, OCH 2 CH 2 OH, O-(PEG), wherein PEG represents poly(ethylene glycol), OCH 3 , N(CH 3 ) 2 , OCH 2 CH 2 N + (CH 3 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 3 SO 3 − , and combinations thereof; 0≤x≤1, and n is greater than about 10.

15. The membrane of claim 1 , wherein the monolayer comprises the star polymer of the formula below:

wherein, R 0 is a homopolymer or random copolymer with monomeric units selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy and combinations thereof; R 1 is selected from the group consisting of OCH 2 CH 2 OH and O-(PEG)-OCH 3 , with PEG representing poly(ethylene glycol); 0≤x≤1; k is greater than or equal to about 6; and n is greater than about 10.

Assignees

• IBM
• San Jose State Univ Research Foundation

Inventors

• Dubois Geraud J
• Miller Robert D
• Na Young-Hye
• Piunova Victoria
• Sly Joseph
• Stillman Daniel

Classifications

• C08J9/42

  with macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• B05D1/18

  performed by dipping · CPC title

• B01D71/82

  characterised by the presence of specified groups, e.g. introduced by chemical after-treatment · CPC title

• B01D71/80

  Block polymers · CPC title

• B01D71/56

  Polyamides, e.g. polyester-amides · CPC title