POS7-0918
TA-APTES/EDTA-Modified UHMWPE Membranes for Trace Metal-Ion Removal
Topic
S7. Innovations in Polymeric Composites: From Design and Processing to Industrial Applications
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Jinho Kim (Yonsei university)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene membranes are promising materials for semiconductors, medical, and separation processes due to their high chemical resistance and mechanical robustness. However, their inherently low surface energy and chemical inertness impose substantial limitations on surface functionalization and water-flow performance. In this study, a strategy was developed to introduce an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid chelating layer by integrating a hydrophilic interlayer formed through tannic acid–3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane coating with a photoacid-induced sol–gel reaction. This approach overcomes the constraints of conventional membranes and enables effective removal of trace metal ions. The optimized membrane (A10T50) exhibits a mean pore diameter of 81.4 nm and maintains a high water flux of 1881 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ while achieving approximately 95 % Cu(II) removal, corresponding to an area-specific adsorption capacity of 1.52 × 10⁻⁵ meq·cm⁻². Furthermore, the regenerated membranes consistently maintained more than 90 % removal efficiency across three adsorption–desorption cycles, while preserving the average area-specific adsorption capacities of 5.30 × 10⁻⁵ meq·cm⁻² (Al(III)), 1.66 × 10⁻⁵ meq·cm⁻² (Ni(II)), 1.45 × 10⁻⁵ meq·cm⁻² (Zn(II)), and 1.54 × 10⁻⁵ meq·cm⁻² (Cu(II)). These findings demonstrate that photoacid-mediated silanization offers a controllable and potentially scalable route to fabricate metal-ion-chelating UHMWPE membranes for trace metal removal in ultrapure-water (UPW) polishing applications.
