Stimuli-responsive Membranes: Smart Tools for Controllable Mass-transfer and Separation Processes

Abstract

Abstract: As emerging artificial biomimetic membranes, smart or intelligent membranes that are able to respond to environmental stimuli are attracting ever-increasing interests from various fields. Their permeation properties including hydraulic permeability and diffusional permeability can be dramatically controlled or adjusted self-regulatively in response to small chemical and/or physical stimuli in their environments. Such environmental stimuli-responsive smart membranes could find myriad applications in numerous fields ranging from controlled release to separations. Here the trans-membrane mass-transfer and membrane separation is introduced as the beginning to initiate the requirement of smart membranes, and then bio-inspired design of environmental stimuli-responsive smart membranes and four essential elements for smart membranes are introduced and discussed. Next, smart membrane types and their applications as smart tools for controllable mass-transfer in controlled release and separations are reviewed. The research topics in the near future are also suggested.

Key words: smart membranes, responsive membranes, bio-inspired membranes, gating membranes, mass-transfer, controlled release, separation

摘要： As emerging artificial biomimetic membranes, smart or intelligent membranes that are able to respond to environmental stimuli are attracting ever-increasing interests from various fields. Their permeation properties including hydraulic permeability and diffusional permeability can be dramatically controlled or adjusted self-regulatively in response to small chemical and/or physical stimuli in their environments. Such environmental stimuli-responsive smart membranes could find myriad applications in numerous fields ranging from controlled release to separations. Here the trans-membrane mass-transfer and membrane separation is introduced as the beginning to initiate the requirement of smart membranes, and then bio-inspired design of environmental stimuli-responsive smart membranes and four essential elements for smart membranes are introduced and discussed. Next, smart membrane types and their applications as smart tools for controllable mass-transfer in controlled release and separations are reviewed. The research topics in the near future are also suggested.

关键词: smart membranes, responsive membranes, bio-inspired membranes, gating membranes, mass-transfer, controlled release, separation

CHU Liangyin, XIE Rui, JU Xiaojie. Stimuli-responsive Membranes: Smart Tools for Controllable Mass-transfer and Separation Processes[J]. , 2011, 19(6): 891-903.

褚良银, 谢锐, 巨晓洁. Stimuli-responsive Membranes: Smart Tools for Controllable Mass-transfer and Separation Processes[J]. CIESC Journal, 2011, 19(6): 891-903.

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