Sustainable membranes through aqueous phase separation

Sustainable Membranes Production Through Aqueous Phase Separation

Persons involved: Marina Lourenço Kienteca (PhD Candidate), Wiebe de Vos (promotor), Saskia Lindhoud (supervisor)
Duration: 2026-2030
Funding: NWO Talent Programme- VICI Scheme

Introduction
Membrane technology is essential for clean water production, chemical separation, and the energy transition. Yet membrane manufacturing relies on toxic, unsustainable, and non-renewable organic solvents. This research aims to address this challenge by developing a more sustainable, water-based approach to membrane fabrication using polyelectrolyte complexes and aqueous phase separation.

Keywords
Sustainable manufacturing, separation technology, polyelectrolyte complexes, materials processing, transport properties, functional materials

Scientific challenges
The main scientific challenges are controlling membrane structure and morphology, achieving a suitable balance between porosity and mechanical stability, and developing a robust, scalable and reproducible water-based fabrication process.

Research goals
This project aims to establish a sustainable, water-based fabrication route for high-porosity membranes based on polyelectrolyte systems and aqueous phase separation. The work focuses on understanding the relationship between material structure, properties, and membrane performance, with the aim of developing sustainable membranes for separation applications.