From viral barriers to proton conductors – novel applications for polymeric membranes

Abstract

Novel applications for polymeric membranes which address the needs of health care industry and development of alternative energy sources are reviewed in this paper. Polyolefin membranes made by thermally-induced separation process can be used as barriers against biological pathogens and splashes of harmful liquid chemicals, or as separators in lithium ion batteries, which can provide an increased margin of safety by shutting down the electrical current in case of battery overheating. Asymmetric membranes made by a combination of immersion precipitation and photopolymerization can be used as proton exchange membranes in fuel cells. Modifications of this novel process could be used to make membranes for other interesting applications.