Float-Cast Microsieves with Elliptical Pores

Abstract

Polymeric microsieves bearing elliptical pores were successfully prepared via float-casting: a dispersion comprising nonvolatile acrylate monomers and ellipsoidal polystyrene particles was spread onto a water surface. The resulting self-organized monolayer was laterally compressed, and the monomer was photopolymerized, giving rise to a membrane comprising ellipsoidal particles laterally embedded in a 0.5 μm thin polymer membrane. The particles were dissolved, leaving behind elliptical pores. These pores had an average length of the major axis of 0.87 ± 0.1 μm and of the minor axis of 0.42 ± 0.07 μm and an aspect ratio of approximately 2. The microsieve bearing these submicrometric elliptical pores was transferred to a hierarchical structure made out of microsieves bearing circular pores of 6 μm diameter on top of a microsieve with 70 μm diameter pores. The resulting hierarchically structured microsieve had a porosity of 0.13. At a pressure difference of typically 10³ Pa (Reynolds number aprox. 0.002), the volumetric permeance for water was Pe = $\dot{V}$/A/Δp = 0.5·10^–6 m/s/Pa, the product viscosity·permeance is η·$\dot{V}$/A/Δp = 0.5·10^–9 m. This value is lower than the corresponding values of microsieves with circular pores of similar diameter produced by the same technique. The beneficial effects of higher permeance per pore caused by the elliptical shape are countered by lower porosity caused by less efficient packing of the ellipsoidal particles.