Issue 5, 2013

Superior separation performance of ultrathin gelatin films

Abstract

Ultrathin gelatin films were prepared by filtering gelatin on a porous nanofibrous scaffold and cross-linked by glutaraldehyde. The gelatin thin films were obtained by using a copper hydroxide nanostrand scaffold after removal of the scaffold. At relative high pressure, the rejection properties of these gelatin films became worse due to mechanical fouling. However, the gelatin/carbon nanotube composite thin films prepared on a single-walled carbon nanotube scaffold could sustain a pressure up to 18 bars with more than 90% rejection for 2–3 nm molecules. The carbon nanotube layer dramatically increased the mechanical properties of the gelatin layer. The pressure dynamically controlled the network structure of the gelatin layer. The corresponding separation performances were investigated in detail. The gelatin films could be as thin as 62 nm. These gelatin films can separate 865 Dalton Direct Yellow 50 molecules at a rate of magnitude one to two orders higher than that of commercially available membranes with similar rejections.

Graphical abstract: Superior separation performance of ultrathin gelatin films

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
30 Aug. 2012
Accepted
19 Nov. 2012
First published
20 Nov. 2012

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 1899-1906

Superior separation performance of ultrathin gelatin films

L. Shi, Q. Yu, H. Huang, Y. Mao, J. Lei, Z. Ye and X. Peng, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013, 1, 1899 DOI: 10.1039/C2TA00130F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements