title: Construction of metal-ligand-coordinated multilayers and their selective separation behavior.
abstract: In this article, a layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled coordination multilayer on planar and 3D substrates was explored by the alternate deposition of a transition-metal-containing polyelectrolyte and a ligand-containing polymer via the formation of complexes. The metal-ligand coordination between the building blocks of Co(2+)-exchanged poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) and poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4 VP) has been demonstrated using UV-vis, FTIR, and XPS. The film thickness, structure, and morphology as well as the wettability as a function of bilayer number have been systematically investigated by profilometry, SEM, AFM, and contact angle analyzers. For the purpose of separation applications, the metal-ligand-coordinated multilayer was assembled on both flat sheet and hollow fiber polymeric porous substrates using a dynamic pressure-driven LbL technique. It was demonstrated that the LbL-assembled PSS(Co)(1/2)/P4 VP multilayer membrane had high dehydration performance with respect to different solvent-water mixtures; it also had aromatic compound permselectivity from aromatic-aliphatic hydrocarbons and water-softening capacity. Meanwhile, the successful assembly of multilayers on hollow fibers indicates that the dynamic pressure-driven LbL technique is a unique approach to the construction of multilayers on porous 3-D substrates. Therefore, the metal-ligand-coordinated self-assembly could emerge as a powerful technique for the preparation of a range of separation membranes in different types of modules.
authors.affiliation: Center for Membrane Technology, College of Environmental and Energy Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China. zhanggj@bjut.edu.cn
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhengang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: Shulan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Zhongzhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu