Abstract: A method for fabricating nanostructured polymeric materials based on a combination of inkjet printing and template synthesis. Layer-by-layer assembled nanotubes can be synthesized in a polycarbonate track-etched (PCTE) membrane by printing poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) sequentially. By changing the printing conditions, polymeric nanotubes or nanowires can be prepared by printing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) in a PCTE template. Inkjet printing paired with template synthesis can be used to generate patterns comprised of chemically distinct nanomaterials. Thin polymeric films of layer-by-layer assembled PAH and PSS can be printed on a PCTE membrane. Inkjet printing paired with template synthesis can also be used to prepare functional mosaic membranes, such as charge mosaic membranes comprising polyelectrolytes of different charges to pattern positively charged or negatively-charged domains, respectively, on the surface of the template.

Abstract: The further advancement of membrane separation processes requires the development of more selective membranes. In this study, membranes that take inspiration from biological systems and use multiple functionalities of unique chemical design to control solute transport through chemical factors in addition to steric factors are detailed. Specifically, copolymer materials tailor-made for the generation of nanofilters that possess a high density of well-defined pores lined by azido moieties allowed for the generation of chemically-patterned mosaic membranes in a rapid manner through the use of printing devices. By engineering the composition of the reactive ink solutions used for chemical functionalization, large areas of patterned membranes were generated in seconds rather than hours. Charge mosaic membranes were used as an example of this novel platform.