Study of some electrokinetic phenomena in charged microcapillary porous membranes

Past, Present and Future of Membrane Technology in Spain

The following review aims at analyzing the contribution of Spanish researchers to membrane science and technology, with a historical compilation of the main milestones. We used a bibliometric analysis based on the Scopus database (1960–2020) dealing with 8707 documents covering the different disciplines and subject areas where membranes are involved. Furthermore, the information has been updated to the present moment of writing this manuscript in order to include the latest research lines and the different research groups currently active in Spain, which may lead the way to the development of the field in the coming years.

Comparison of the volume charge density of nanofiltration membranes obtained from retention and conductivity experiments

A version of the Donnan steric-partitioning pore model with dielectrical exclusion (DSPM-DE) has been used to get information on the pore size and charge density of a commercial membrane, NF45 from FilmTec, from its retention of KCl solutions. The conductivity inside the pores has been measured by impedance spectroscopy, and the electric potential drop during retention experiments has also been measured. These experimental data on conductivity and electric potential are analyzed, by using the thermodynamics of irreversible processes and the space charge model, to obtain the pore charge density of the membrane. These two methods give results in fair accordance which probes that the sometimes controversial method of DSPM-DE can give accurate results for the charge as well as for the mean pore size of a nanofiltration membrane. Some clues to improve the way this model can be used are given as well.

Gateable nanofluidic interconnects for multilayered microfluidic separation systems

The extension of microfluidic devices to include three-dimensional fluidic networks allows complex fluidic and chemical manipulations but requires innovative methods to interface fluidic layers. Externally controllable interconnects, employing nuclear track-etched polycarbonate membranes containing nanometer-diameter capillaries, are described that produce hybrid three-dimensional fluidic architectures. Controllable nanofluidic transfer is achieved by controlling applied bias, polarity, and density of the immobile nanopore surface charge and the impedance of the nanocapillary array relative to the microfluidic channels. Analyte transport between vertically separated microchannels has three stable transfer levels, corresponding to zero, reverse, and forward bias. The transfer can even depend on the properties of the analyte being transferred such as the molecular size, illustrating the flexible character of the analyte transfer. In a specific analysis implementation, nanochannel array gating is applied to capillary electrophoresis separations, allowing selected separated components to be isolated for further manipulation, thereby opening the way for preparative separations at attomole analyte mass levels.