The Art of Making Polymeric Membranes

Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, University of Ottawa, Canada Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, 

Keywords Polymeric membrane, phase inversion, hollow fiber, electrospimiing, modification of membranes, graft polymerization, mixed matrix membrane, UV irradiation, tensile strength 

The concept of a membrane has been known since the eighteenth century, but was used little outside of the laboratory until the end of World War II. Since then, the U.S. medical membrane device market was valued at 2.1 billion in 2010 and is forecast to grow to 2.9 billion by 2016, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% [1]. 

A membrane is a selective barrier that allows the passage of certain constituents and retains other constituents found in the liquid [2]. The influent of a membrane is known as the feed-stream, the liquid that passes through the membrane is known as the permeate, and the liquid containing the retained constituents is the retentate or concentrate. 

A membrane can be complex in both structure and function. It may be solid or liquid, homogeneous or heterogeneous, isotropic or anisotropic in its structure. A membrane 

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Proton-exchanging membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are considered to be one of the most promising types of electrochemical device for power generation [1-10]. Low operation temperatures and the wide range of power make them attractive for portable, automotive, and stationary applications. However, advances made in these markets require further cost reduction and improved reliabiUty. These can be achieved through development and implementation of novel proton-exchange membranes with higher performance and lower cost as compared to the state of the art polymeric electrolytes. 

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