University of Buffalo Develops New Nanomembrane System

A research team at the University at Buffalo, US, has developed a new nanomembrane to separate bacteria from drinking water.

The nanomembrane, which was created with the help of a polymer called a block copolymer, is about 55nm in diameter and large enough for water molecules to slip through while filtering out bacteria, according to buffalorising.com.

The block copolymers are made up of two polymers that repel each other, but are stitched together to create a single copolymer.

Their repulsion leads to an alternating pattern and the result is a solid nanomembrane that contains two different polymers. The researchers removed one of the polymers to create evenly spaced pores in the materials.

The university’s assistant professor of chemistry Javid Rzayev said that membranes prepared from block copolymers have a very dense distribution of pores that are uniform and the team was able to expand the range of the available pores to 50nm.

“Making pores bigger increases the flow of water, which will translate into cost and time savings,” said Ryayev. “At the same time, 50-100nm diameter pores are small enough not to allow any bacteria through.”