Objective

To fabricate nanoporous ultrafiltration membranes exhibiting unprecedented size selectivity coupled with catalytic capability

Technical Approach

Integration of block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly, atomic layer deposition (ALD), and sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) to prepare uniform, optically active doped titanium dioxide membranes

Accomplishments

  • Prepared oriented BCP films and executed SIS/etching to transform them into porous TiO₂
  • Verified anatase crystallinity of TiO₂
  • Materials
  • Performed TiO₂
  • ALD on commercial membranes and successfully N-doped the titania to shift its absorption into the visible range

Next Steps

Testing of membrane performance for both physical size filtration and catalytic degradation of model molecules

Impact:

  • Paper published on new insight into SIS mechanism: Chem. Mater. 26 (2014) 6135 Accepted (DOI: 10.1021/cm502427q)
  • Established new nitrogen-doping ALD process for TiO₂
  • materials
  • First report of nanoporous TiO₂
  • films using the BCP/SIS technique