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SURFACE CHEMICAL REACTION TECHNIQUES FOR ULTRATHIN COMPOSITEMEMBRANES

Award Information
Agency: National Science Foundation
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 14363
Amount: $50,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1991
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
1360 Willow Rd Suite 103
Menlo Park, CA 94025
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Richard W. Baker
 President
 () -
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

MEMBRANE DIFFUSION IS AN INHERENTLY SLOW PROCESS. CONSEQUENTLY, MEMBRANE-BASED SEPARATION PROCESSES CAN ONLY BE ECONOMICALLY VIABLE IF EXTREMELY THIN, DEFECT-FREE MEMBRANES ARE USED. THIN-FILM COMPOSITE MEMBRANES WITH A PERMSELECTIVE LAYER THICKNESS DOWN TO ABOUT 0.5 MUM CAN BE MADE BY PRESENTLY AVAILABLE TECHNIQUES. THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY FOR MAKING INDUSTRIAL-SCALE COMPOSITE MEMBRANES WITH A PERMSELECTIVE LAYER THICKNESS OF 0.1 MUM OR BELOW. THE MEMBRANES WILL BE MADE BY SOLUTION COATING AN ELASTOMERIC POLYMER MATERIAL ONTO A MICROPOROUS SUPPORT. THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE COATED LAYER WILL THEN BE CONVERTED TO A GLASSY CROSSLINKED ZONE BY SURFACE TREATMENT WITH A REACTIVE ORANGIC SPECIES. THE RESULT WILL BE A ZONE OF THICKNESS LESS THAN 0.1 MUM WITH GREATLY ENHANCED SELECTIVITY. BECAUSE THE GLASSY LAYER IS SO THIN, THE FLUX WILL ALSO BE VERY HIGH COMPARED WITH THAT OF A STANDARD COMPOSITE MEMBRANE WITH A GLASSY PERMSELECTIVE LAYER.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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