answering the following question – what is it good for? How valid is the idea that
hydrophobic assembly is robust enough to make a useful functional material, or to
compete with polymeric systems in real-life applications?
We investigated the deposited material using cryo-SEM to reveal the formation of
a porous gel-like layer with relatively uniform pores (Fig. 13c–e). The structure was
strikingly reminiscent of that of filtration membranes, motivating us to investigate
the system as a size-selective separation membrane. Assuming that it possesses
Fig. 13 (a) One-step fabrication of a ~45-μm-thick membrane by filtering a solution of 8 over a
cellulose acetate syringe filter (0.45 μm pore size). (b) The prepared supramolecular membrane.
(c) Cryo-SEM image of the membrane cross-section. (d) Magnified area showing the sharp border
between the supramolecular membrane and the support. (e) The porous nanostructure of the
membrane. (f–k) Filtration of gold nanoparticles over a supramolecular membrane: (f) Gold
nanoparticles before filtering and (g) corresponding size histogram. (h) Gold nanoparticles in
the filtrate and (i) size histogram. ( j) Retained nanoparticles and (k) size histogram [61]
380
B. Rybtchinski
hydrophobic assembly is robust enough to make a useful functional material, or to
compete with polymeric systems in real-life applications?
We investigated the deposited material using cryo-SEM to reveal the formation of
a porous gel-like layer with relatively uniform pores (Fig. 13c–e). The structure was
strikingly reminiscent of that of filtration membranes, motivating us to investigate
the system as a size-selective separation membrane. Assuming that it possesses
Fig. 13 (a) One-step fabrication of a ~45-μm-thick membrane by filtering a solution of 8 over a
cellulose acetate syringe filter (0.45 μm pore size). (b) The prepared supramolecular membrane.
(c) Cryo-SEM image of the membrane cross-section. (d) Magnified area showing the sharp border
between the supramolecular membrane and the support. (e) The porous nanostructure of the
membrane. (f–k) Filtration of gold nanoparticles over a supramolecular membrane: (f) Gold
nanoparticles before filtering and (g) corresponding size histogram. (h) Gold nanoparticles in
the filtrate and (i) size histogram. ( j) Retained nanoparticles and (k) size histogram [61]
380
B. Rybtchinski