Abstract
A new kind of synthetic membrane was designed with the capacity to adjust the pore diameter in a wide range of sizes (from 0.8 to 22.3 microns) just by changing the pH of the aqueous medium where it is immersed; in this way it is possible to control externally the pore size of the membrane. A non-linear mathematical model, based on the overlap of the electrical double layers of charged particles, was developed to explain the oscillatory behavior of the pore size when the pH was varied. This model fits correctly this oscillatory behavior. Scanning electron microscope images were obtained in low-vacuum conditions to reduce, as much as possible, possible changes in the external conditions after the immersion in water.
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Estrada, R., Rodríguez, R. & Castaño, V.M. Smart polymeric membranes: pH-induced non-linear changes in pore size. Appl. Phys. A 99, 723–728 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5554-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-010-5554-y