Project Info

Functional Aromatic Polyamide Brushes for RO Membranes

Stephen Boyes | sboyes@mines.edu

The modification of surfaces with polymers is a field that has fascinated chemists and engineers for over half a century due to the unique ability of polymers to control interfacial properties. Indeed, surface modification using polymers has been directly responsible for both the expansion and improvement of existing technologies and the development of new technologies. Of the many different surface modification techniques available, polymer brushes have received considerable attention and they have been used in applications ranging from sensors to smart coatings. Recently researchers have established a need to develop polymer brushes based on aromatic polymers for application in areas such as tribological coatings, reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, and biosensing. This project will expand on exciting preliminary work from the Boyes group and conduct a detailed study into the use of substituent effect chain growth polycondensation (SECGP) for the preparation of aromatic polyamide brushes in order to develop a thorough understanding of the factors influencing brush growth, structure, and functionality, in addition to demonstrating the application of these systems in membranes for RO.

More Information

Prehn, F.C., Boyes, S.G. Chain-Growth Condensation Polymer Brushes: Design and Synthesis of Surface-Initiated Polyaramid Brushes Macromolecules 2015, 48, 4269 – 4280.

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