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Controlling the chemical and morphological structure of polymers and porous materials has dramatic implications on molecular transport within these materials. Therefore, by properly designing new materials, previously unattainable property sets can be achieved for molecule separations. Of particular promise are membrane-based separations, which, unlike distillation, circumvent the enthalpic energy penalty required for phase changes, and, unlike absorption, operate under steady-state conditions without the need for regeneration. Here, three strategies are presented for designing new membrane materials for enhanced separation performance. First, diffusion-selective polymers known as thermally rearranged polymers and second, solubility-selective perfluoropolymers are considered. The mechanism of gas transport inthese materials is investigated from the fundamental perspective of gas-polymer interactions and the creation of diffusional pathways for selective transport of small molecules. Third, an alternative approach to improving membrane performance is presented, whereby highly efficient metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with outstanding adsorption-selectivities are dispersed into polymers matrixes. This final strategy leverages the processability of polymers and the separation performance of MOFs to form composite membranes with property sets far beyond those achievable with polymers alone.

Zachary P. Smith is currently a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Penn State Schreyer Honors College, conducting research with Prof. Hank Foley on porous carbon-based materials for applications in oxygen enrichment. Zach completed his graduate training in Chemical Engineering under the guidance of Profs. Benny Freeman and Don Paul at the University of Texas at Austin, developing structure/property relationships for gas diffusion and sorption in polyimides, perfluoropolymers, and related materials.

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     After obtaining a PhD in Physics from Boston University, Dr. Sharon Glotzer worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Washington D.C. before going to the University of Michigan. She manages The Glotzer Group, a research laboratory on campus that studies nanoparticles and molecular self-assembly. In particular, Professor Glotzer focuses on the force entropy exerts on nanoparticles. "It’s very common for people to immediately associate entropy with disorder," she notes. "But it also happens that entropy can actually be the reason for a system to order rather to be disordered, and that fact is not widely appreciated."
 
     In better understanding entropy and self-assembly, Professor Glotzer and her group aim to uncover ways to engineer new materials with unique properties. Potential applications include the engineering of improved solar cells, new batteries, or even materials with "cloaking" invisibility attributes and shape-shifting materials.

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