Device for the Acquisition of Dynamic Data Enables the Rapid Characterization of Polymer Membranes

Creating systems and techniques capable of reducing the time, energy, and resources needed to characterize the transport properties of polymer membranes can help to increase the rate of material and process development. Within this study, commercially available hardware and 3D-printed parts are integrated with a graphical user interface to develop an apparatus that automates the characterization of membrane transport properties. The system synchronizes the collection of the mass, concentration, and pressure data required to determine the hydraulic permeability and solute permeability coefficients. Automating the data collection and shutdown processes removes the need for a researcher to be present after the start of the experiment, effectively reducing the demand on their time by 40% per experiment. Moreover, the experiments generate more information than standard approaches by identifying the concentration dependencies of the transport coefficients. As an example, diafiltration experiments executed using the acquisition of dynamic data (ADD) device quantified MgCl2 rejection by charge-functionalized poly­[trifluoroethyl methacrylate-co-oligo­(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate] membranes over a range of retentate concentrations from 5 to 65 mM MgCl2. A single diafiltration experiment corroborated previously reported data, collected from a series of one-off filtration experiments, on membranes functionalized with hexamethylene diamine moieties. Membranes functionalized with ethylene diamine and trimethylolpropane tris­[poly­(propylene glycol), amine terminated] ether were also analyzed. High-throughput diafiltration experiments were able to elucidate the distinct concentration-dependent rejection profiles that resulted from these changes to the membrane chemistry. The versatility of the ADD device was highlighted by adapting it to characterize membrane sorbents using constant volumetric flux breakthrough experiments. Ultimately, the ability of this device to characterize functional polymer membranes will aid in the development of fundamental insights that connect macroscopic membrane properties with macromolecular design.