From Charge-Mosaic to Micelle Self-Assembly: Block Copolymer Membranes in the Last 40 Years

Different strategies for membrane preparation based on block copolymers are reviewed in this paper, starting from early papers on charge-mosaic membranes and following with dense membranes for gas separation for applications like CO2 separation, pervaporation of aqueous solutions containing organic pollutants, low-fouling surfaces and finally tailoring porous membranes with very sharp pore size distribution. The approaches for manufacture of nanoporous films are summarized, including etching and preferential dissolution. The advantages of a new process based on micelle assembly and phase inversion are emphasized, confirming its perspective of up-scale and application at large scale.