Magnetically responsive membranes
AssigneeColorado State University Research Foundation
InventorsSumith Ranil Wickramasinghe, Xianghong Qian, Heath H. Himstedt, Mathias Ulbricht, Michael J. Semmens
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Abstract
The invention provides permeable magnetically responsive filtration membranes that include a filtration membrane polymer base suitable for fluid filtration; hydrophilic polymers conjugated to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer; and magnetic nanoparticles affixed to the ends of a plurality of the hydrophilic polymers, wherein the hydrophilic polymers are movable with respect to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer surface in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field.
Claims18
A magnetically responsive filtration membrane comprising:
- a filtration membrane polymer suitable for fluid filtration;
- a plurality of hydrophilic polymer brushes conjugated to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer;
- and
- a plurality of magnetic nanoparticles covalently bonded to the ends of a plurality of the hydrophilic polymer brushes, wherein the hydrophilic polymer brushes are movable with respect to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer surface in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field.
A method of preparing a magnetically responsive filtration membrane comprising:
- installing hydrophilic polymers onto a surface of a filtration membrane polymer that is suitable for fluid filtration, to form a plurality of hydrophilic polymer brushes on the surface of the filtration membrane polymer;
- and
- covalently attaching a plurality of magnetic nanoparticles to ends of a plurality of the hydrophilic polymer brushes to provide magnetic nanoparticle end-capped hydrophilic polymer brushes, wherein the magnetic nanoparticle end-capped hydrophilic polymers are movable with respect to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer surface in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field.
A magnetically responsive fluid filtration system comprising:
- a magnetically responsive filtration membrane and an oscillating magnetic field apparatus;
- wherein a plurality of hydrophilic polymer brushes are attached to the surface of a filtration membrane polymer suitable for fluid filtration;
- and a plurality of magnetic nanoparticles are covalently bonded to the ends of a plurality of the hydrophilic polymers brushes, to form the magnetically responsive filtration membrane;
- wherein the hydrophilic polymer brushes are movable with respect to the surface of the filtration membrane polymer surface in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field;
- wherein the magnetically responsive filtration membrane is located inside an optionally pressurized filtration cell and the cell is located within the oscillating magnetic field apparatus so that a membrane barrier layer during filtration is normal to a magnetic field generated along a longitudinal axis of the oscillating magnetic field apparatus (solenoids).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.