Modeling of asymmetric membrane formation by a combination of dry/wet phase inversion processes

摘要

The invention of asymmetric polymer membranes by Loeb and Sourirajan has causedan enormous growth in the field of membrane science and technology. Application areas rangefrom chemical, biomedical to biotechnology industries. Asymmetric membranes are mostlyfabricated by a process called phase inversion which can be achieved through four principalmethods: immersion precipitation (wet phase inversion), vapor-induced phase separation, thermallyinduced phase separation and dry-casting. In these techniques, an initially homogeneouspolymer solution becomes thermodynamically unstable and phase separates into polymerleanand polymer-rich phases. Structure of these types of membranes is greatly influenced byeven slight change in membrane preparation conditions.