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AssigneeMichigan Molecular Institute
InventorsAbhijit Sarkar, Petar R. Dvornic, Peter I. Carver, Joseph L. Rousseau
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The present invention relates to surface modification of reverse osmosis membranes to introduce antifouling properties without compromising the separation properties of the original membranes. This approach utilizes: providing a coated membrane surface having enhanced hydrophilic characteristics that prevents the biofoulants from settling; have a surface that consists of hydrophilic brushes that unsettle any biofoulants that get through; and having antimicrobial ions present in the membrane coatings and able to remove or minimize any remaining biofoulants without leaching into the permeate. These coatings are made using dendritic polymers such as hyperbranched polymers or dendrimers.
A composition of matter which comprises a crosslinked hydrophilic coating on a surface of a reverse osmosis membrane wherein the coating comprises hydrophilic dendritic polymers selected from the group consisting of a hyperbranched polyamide as a succinate derived from TREN and MeOOC—(CH2)2—COOMe and a PAMAM dendrimer, wherein the dendritic polymer (a) is crosslinked to form a polymer network, and (b) is modified with hydrophilic linear chains to form polymer brushes in the network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.