Radiation initiated grafting of polymer films - an alternative technique to prepare membranes for various separation problems

A lot of different techniques have been developed in the past to prepare membranes. An alternative technique, which is well-known in the literature, but not yet commercially used in larger scale, based on radiation initiated grafting of functional monomers on films of partially crystalline polymers is described. The characteristics of such membranes of various trunk polymer/graft monomer combinations are discussed. Their applicability to some special separation problems is demonstrated by laboratory experiments. (author)