New Membrane-Forming Aromatic Co-Poly(amide-imide)s: Influence of the Chemical Structure on the Morphological, Thermal and Transport Properties

Polymer film membranes are used to solve specific separation problems that dictate structural requirements. Structural and morphological parameters of film membranes based on glassy polyheteroarylenes can be controlled in the process of preparation from solutions that opens up prospects for obtaining structured membranes required for targeted separation. In the case of aromatic poly(amide-imide)s, the possibility of controlling film formation and structure virtually has not been studied. In the present work, a series of homologous co-poly(amide-imide)s differing in the number of repeating units with carboxyl-substituted aromatic fragments was synthesized by polycondensation. Comparative analysis of the processes of formation of membranes with different morphologies based on these polymers under equal conditions was performed. New information was obtained about the influence of the amounts of carboxyl groups and the residual solvent on structural properties of asymmetric membranes. The influence of these factors on transport properties of dense membranes under pervaporation conditions was studied. It was demonstrated that in the case of carboxyl-containing poly(amide-imide)s, the domains formed during film preparation had a significant effect on membrane properties.

Design of Asymmetric Nanofibers-Membranes Based on Polyvinyl Alcohol and Wool-Keratin for Wound Healing Applications

The development of asymmetric membranes—i.e., matching two fibrous layers with selected composition and morphological properties to mimic both the epidermis and dermis—currently represents one of the most promising strategies to support skin regeneration during the wound healing process. Herein, a new asymmetric platform fabricated by a sequential electrospinning process was investigated. The top layer comprises cross-linked polyvinylalcohol (PVA) nanofibers (NFs)—from water solution—to replicate the epidermis’s chemical stability and wettability features. Otherwise, the bottom layer is fabricated by integrating PVA with wool-keratin extracted via sulfitolysis. This protein is a biocompatibility polymer with excellent properties for dermis-like structures. Morphological characterization via SEM supported by image analysis showed that the asymmetric membrane exhibited average fiber size—max frequency diameter 450 nm, range 1.40 μm—and porosity suitable for the healing process. FTIR-spectrums confirmed the presence of keratin in the bottom layer and variations of keratin-secondary structures. Compared with pure PVA-NFs, keratin/PVA-NFs showed a significant improvement in cell adhesion in in vitro tests. In perspective, these asymmetric membranes could be promisingly used to confine active species (i.e., antioxidants, antimicrobials) to the bottom layer to support specific cell activities (i.e., proliferation, differentiation) in wound healing applications.

Asymmetric Lipid Membranes under Shear Flows: A Dissipative Particle Dynamics Study

We investigate the phase behavior of the asymmetric lipid membranes under shear flows, using the dissipative particle dynamics simulation. Two cases, the weak and strong shear flows, are considered for the asymmetric lipid microstructures. Three typical asymmetric structures, the membranes, tubes, and vesicle, are included in the phase diagrams, where the effect of two different types of lipid chain length on the formation of asymmetric membranes is evaluated. The dynamic processes are demonstrated for the asymmetric membranes by calculating the average radius of gyration and shape factor. The result indicates that different shear flows will affect the shape of the second type of lipid molecules; the shape of the first type of lipid molecules is more stable than that of the second type of lipid molecules. The mechanical properties are investigated for the asymmetric membranes by analyzing the interface tension. The results reveal an absolute pressure at the junctions of different types of particles under the weak shear flow; the other positions are almost in a state of no pressure; there is almost no pressure inside the asymmetric lipid membrane structure under the strong shear flow. The findings will help us to understand the potential applications of asymmetric lipid microstructures in the biological and medical fields.

Asymmetric Membranes

Nowadays, membranes are key components in various relevant fields [...]