Polymer–Inorganic Composites Based on Celgard Matrices Obtained from Solutions of (Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

A method has been developed for the fabrication of a polymer-inorganic composite material based on the Celgard polymer matrix by means of the introduction of silica nanoparticles with amino groups into the polymer structure through impregnation of the porous structure with solutions of the aminosilane precursor in supercritical СO₂. The presence of inorganic nanoparticles made it possible to noticeably enhance the hydrophilicity of the material, and the absolute wettability of supercritical CO₂ was favorable for uniform particle distribution in membrane pores. The particles growing in membrane pores allowed one to reduce the pore size, which opens ways to control ion-transport selectivity.