COMPOSITE PLASMA-POLYMER MEMBRANES

THE POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF MEMBRANE PROCESSES FOR SEPARATIONS ARE WELL KNOWN. HOWEVER, CURRENT MEMBRANE SYSTEMS HAVE CAPTURED ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE POTENTIAL MARKET, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THEY ARE MADE FROM POLYMERS THAT ARE NOT DURABLE ENOUGH FOR MANY APPLICATIONS, AND THEY DO NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT SELECTIVITY FOR CLEAN SEPARATIONS. PLASMA-POLYMER MEMBRANES OFFER A SOLUTION TO BOTH PROBLEMS. THESE MEMBRANES EXHIBIT EXTRAORDINARILY HIGH SELECTIVITY, AND THEY ARE SO HIGHLY CROSSLINKED THAT THEY ARE BOTH CHEMICALLY AND THERMALLY STABLE. THE GOAL OF PHASE I IS TO DEVELOP A COMPOSITE MEMBRANE CONSISTING OF A MICROPOROUS SUPPORT ON WHICH A THIN, HIGHLY SELECTIVE LAYER IS DEPOSITED--ALL FROM PLASMA POLYMERS. SUCH A MEMBRANE WOULD OVERCOME CURRENT SELECTIVITY AND DURABILITY SHORTCOMINGS OF OTHER MEMBRANES. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROCESS FOR MAKING SUCH MEMBRANES WILL PREPARE THE WAY FOR MAKING MEMBRANES DIRECTLY FROM ANY OF A WIDE RANGE OF ORGANIC OR INORGANIC, MONOMERS AND MIXTURES THEREOF, THEREBY EXTENDING THE USEFUL RANGE OF SEPARATION PROPERTIES AND OVERCOMING THE EVER-INCREASING COSTS AND THE LIMITATIONS ON MEMBRANE-SEPARATION PROPERTIES ASSOCIATED WITH USING SPECIALITY POLYMERS FOR MEMBRNE MATERIALS.