Why porous membrane breaks during drying?

The issue you're encountering with the Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) membrane breaking and being fragile after drying could be due to several factors related to the preparation and drying process. Here are some steps and considerations to improve the quality and durability of your porous CMC membrane:

Selection of Solvent and Non-Solvent:Ensure that DMF (Dimethylformamide) is indeed a suitable non-solvent for CMC in your case. The choice of solvent and non-solvent pair is crucial in controlling the porosity and structure of the membrane. DMF should precipitate CMC effectively without causing excessive shrinkage or brittleness.

Stirring and Mixing:The mixing process after adding DMF is critical to ensure uniform dispersion and precipitation of CMC. Ensure thorough stirring to promote homogeneous distribution of CMC in DMF and facilitate precipitation.

Drying Conditions:Temperature and drying rate can significantly affect the structure and mechanical properties of the membrane. It's good that you're drying at 80°C, but ensure that the drying process is gradual and controlled. Rapid evaporation of solvent can lead to shrinkage and cracking. Consider drying at a lower temperature initially to avoid rapid solvent evaporation.

Use of Glass Petri Dish:The choice of the drying substrate (glass petri dish) can influence the adhesion and formation of the membrane. Ensure that the surface is clean and possibly treated to promote uniform drying without adhesion issues.

Crosslinking or Annealing:After drying, consider crosslinking or annealing the membrane to improve its mechanical strength. Crosslinking agents like glutaraldehyde or thermal annealing can help stabilize the structure of the membrane and reduce brittleness.

Thickness Control:Ensure that the membrane is not too thick, as thicker membranes can be more prone to internal stresses and cracking during drying. Optimize the casting thickness to achieve a balance between porosity and mechanical strength.

Humidity Control:Ambient humidity can affect the drying process and the final properties of the membrane. Consider drying in a controlled environment with moderate humidity to prevent rapid drying and minimize stress on the membrane.

Post-Treatment and Handling:Handle the dried membrane carefully to avoid mechanical stress that could lead to cracking or breaking. Use gentle techniques for removal from the drying substrate and subsequent handling.

By optimizing these factors, you should be able to improve the quality and durability of your porous Carboxymethyl cellulose membrane. It may require some experimentation to find the optimal conditions for your specific application and equipment setup. Adjustments in solvent concentration, drying temperature, and post-treatment steps can all contribute to achieving a more robust membrane suitable for your needs.@Muhammad Umair

Can we classify HV and LV lines based on line length?

Why the results when using wall thickness and when using shell conduction are different in ansys fluent?

How much pressure we can reduce at the outlet to avoid Reverse Flow?

How to calculate the annealing temperature of a primer pair?

What is recommended for solid domain in ANSYS FLUENT?

Can Virtual Servers (remote dekstop manager) run heavy ANSYS Fluent CFD simulation ?

The reason that the culture of white fungi Contamination with green mold(Trichoderma), the culture autoclave at121 for 15 min. What is it?

How to include original NMR data in a manuscript?

Does different dilution factors affect negatively on NH3 reading ?

Can anyone share his experience regards Smoothing in origin?

what is the simplest definition of ion exchange capacity

what is the simplest definition of ion exchange capacity

Dapi fluorescence protocol for colon cell lines ?

Cloudy/high background western blot - can anyone help me?

Protocol for membrane extraction E. coli?

How do you prepare a porous crosslinked Polyvinyl alcohol and Glutaraldehyde membrane or film?

Background and spots in Western Blot membrane?

Acoustic simulation of Membrane?

Can i re-incubate a WB membrane with a higher solution of the previously used 1ry ab?

Difficulties purifying Outer Membrane Vesicles using a Sucrose Density Gradient: Unable to detect any protein after this process?