Novel magneto-responsive membrane for remote control switchable molecular sieving

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive separation membranes with tunable molecular scale pore size, which are desirable for on-demand sieving of targeted macromolecules, have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In this study, novel magneto-hydrogel pore-filled composite membranes with excellent magneto-responsivity and tunability for molecular sieving have been developed. Such membranes comprising magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as localized heater which can be excited by high frequency alternating magnetic field (AMF), poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel network as the sieving medium and actuator, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) track-etched membrane as robust support, have been prepared via in situ reactive pore-filling functionalization. Rheological study has been carried out first to investigate the influence of MNPs and initiation methods on gelation kinetics and microstructure of the MNP–PNIPAAm composite hydrogels, and to identify proper conditions for further pore-filling functionalization. Then AMF distribution of chosen field condition and its heating effectiveness for MNPs and MNP–PNIPAMm composite hydrogel were studied. Pre-functionalization of the PET membranes with linear polymer chains with different composition were compared with respect to their effects for achieving desired MNP loading and fixation of the hydrogel network in the pores. At last, in situ reactive pore-filling functionalization was carried out to immobilize robust magneto-hydrogel in the pores of the membranes. Conditions were investigated and optimized to obtain functionalized membranes with high MNP loading and suited PNIPAM network properties, i.e. good stimuli-responsivity and sieving in the ultrafiltration range. The excellent thermo- and magneto-responsivity of obtained pore-filled membranes was proved by its large and reversible change of water permeability in response to switching on and off the AMF. Finally, it was demonstrated by filtration of dextrans with different molecular weights that the membranes had ultrafiltration properties and that large changes of their molecular sieving performance could be obtained by “remote control” with the external AMF.