Designs for size-exclusion separation of macromolecules by densely-engineered mesofilters

This critical review reports on the up-to-date development designs of mesofilters for molecular sieving of macromolecules. Tight mesoporous silica nanotubes (NTs) provide a promising candidate as a filter for the size-exclusion separation of large quantities of macromolecules within a short period. First, we focus on the formation of the mesoporous structures inside anodic alumina membrane (AAM) using nanolinker approaches. Second, we discuss the systematic design of the robust mesofilters based on densely-engineered mesopores of silica NTs, which are vertically aligned with the open surfaces of top-bottom ends inside the AAM. Third, we present the bench-top filtration method as a powerful tool for the size-exclusion separation of macromolecules. Significantly, the evaluation of the intrinsic properties of mesofilters (e.g., diffusivity, separation efficiency, long-term stability, and reusability) compared them with commercial, mature membranes used for separation of macromolecules. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.