Ion exchange membranes obtainable by curing a composition comprising: (a) a monomer comprising an aromatic group and at least one polymerisable ethylenically unsaturated group; (b) a photoinitiator which has an absorption maximum at a wavelength longer than 380 nm when measured in one or more of the following solvents at a temperature of 23° C.: water, ethanol and toluene; and (c) at least one co-initiator.

The present disclosure relates to methods of making multi-layered graded multiblock copolymer films; multi-layered graded multiblock copolymer films made by the disclosed methods; uses of the disclosed multi-layered graded multiblock copolymer films; and devices comprising the disclosed multi-layered graded multiblock copolymer films. An exemplary disclosed multi-layered graded multiblock copolymer film has at least three identifiable layers comprising a first porous “skin” layer formed on the surface of a substrate, a porous bulk layer formed on the first porous “skin” layer, and a second porous “skin” layer formed on the surface of the porous bulk layer. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Multiblock polymer materials, methods of preparing, and using to separate proteins, nucleic acids, other biological or other biomolecules, compounds, or solutes, with high fluxes through electrostatic interactions where the self-assembled block polymer materials contain at least one of macro, meso, or micro pores, and at least some of the pores are isoporous, and at least one polymer block contains stationary electrostatic charge, or reactive functional groups to provide large surface areas that are charged in isoporous structure.

The present invention relates to a method of producing a polymeric membrane having a homogeneous porosity throughout the entire polymeric phase. The method comprises the steps of dissolving at least one amphiphillic block copolymer in a solvent to form a casting solution of the block copolymer, and contacting the extruded solution with non-solvent to induce phase separation and thereby producing an integral asymmetric polymeric membrane, wherein the amphiphillic block copolymer is an amphiphillic diblock copolymer, containing blocks of a polar copolymer and blocks of a benzocyclobutene copolymer, and wherein the integral asymmetric polymeric membrane is crosslinked by application of heat or radiation thereby producing a membrane having a homogeneous porosity throughout the entire polymeric phase.

A method for fractionating a liquid include contacting a liquid comprising at least one type of encapsulating particle with at least one mesoporous isoporous block copolymer material, wherein at least one component of the liquid is separated. A device for fractionating a liquid having encapsulating particles includes at least one mesoporous isoporous block copolymer material. The device can further include an inlet to allow the liquid to contact the mesoporous isoporous block copolymer material, and an outlet to allow passage of the fractionated liquid. In some instances, the device can be a pleated capsule, a flat sheet cassette, a spiral wound module, a hollow fiber module, a syringe filter, a microcentrifuge tube, a centrifuge tube, a spin column, a multiple well plate, a vacuum filter, a flat sheet, or a pipette tip.

A mesoporous isoporous asymmetric material includes at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer, wherein the material has a transition layer having a thickness of at least 300 nm and a low macrovoid density, and the material has a sub-structure adjacent to said transition layer and said sub-structure comprises a high macrovoid density. A method for producing mesoporous isoporous asymmetric materials having macrovoids can include: dissolving at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer in a solution, the solution having one or more solvents and one or more nonsolvents, to form a polymer solution; dispensing the polymer solution onto a substrate or mold, or through a die or template; removing at least a portion of solvent and/or nonsolvent from the polymer solution to form a concentrated polymer solution; and exposing the concentrated polymer solution to a nonsolvent causing precipitation of at (least a portion of the polymer from the concentrated polymer solution.

Methods of making blended, isoporous, asymmetric (graded) films (e.g. ultrafiltration membranes) comprising two or more chemically distinct block copolymers and blended, isoporous, asymmetric (graded) films (e.g. ultrafiltration membranes) comprising two or more chemically distinct block copolymers. The generation of blended membranes by mixing two chemically distinct block copolymers in the casting solution demonstrates a pathway to advanced asymmetric block copolymer derived films, which can be used as ultrafiltration membranes, in which different pore surface chemistries and associated functionalities can be integrated into a single membrane via standard membrane fabrication, i.e. without requiring laborious post-fabrication modification steps. The block copolymers may be diblock, triblock and/or multiblock mixes and some block copolymers in the mix may be functionally modified. Triblock copolymers comprising a reactive group (e.g., sulfhydryl group) terminated block and films comprising the triblock copolymers.

Disclosed are a copolymer, porous membranes made from the copolymer, and a method of treating fluids to remove metal ions using the porous membranes, for example, from fluids originating in the microelectronics industry, wherein the copolymer includes monomeric units I and II, wherein monomeric unit I is of the formula A-XCH.sub.2B, wherein A is Rf(CH.sub.2)n, Rf is a perfluoro alkyl group of the formula CF.sub.3(CF.sub.2).sub.x, wherein x is 3-12, n is 1-6, X is O or S, and B is vinylphenyl, and monomeric unit II is vinylpyridine.

Methods of manufacturing ion exchange membranes and ion exchange coated electrodes are described herein. Such membranes and electrodes can be used in, for example, desalination processes.

The present disclosure provides an article including an isoporous membrane disposed on a porous substrate. The iso-porous membrane includes a triblock copolymer or a pentablock copolymer. The isoporous membrane has a thickness and is isoporous throughout its thickness. A method of making an article is also provided, which does not require a solvent exchange process. The method includes depositing a composition on a porous substrate, thereby forming a fdm, and removing at least a portion of the solvent from the film, thereby forming an isoporous membrane having numerous pores. The composition contains a solvent and solids including a triblock copolymer or a pentablock copolymer. The article advantageously can be hydrophilic and provides sharp molecular weight cut-offs and high flux.