Ti and TiO2 magnetron sputtering in roll-to-roll fabrication of hybrid membranes

The large-scale surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate track-etched membranes (TM) using industrial roll-to-roll planar magnetron sputtering of Ti and TiO2 for use in advanced technologies such as separation, biotechnology, and microelectronics was investigated. The Ti and TiO2-Ti coated TM surface characterisation was done using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, contact angle- and scratch adhesion testing. Structural characterisation was done using transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and tensile testing. Water permeability and bubble point testing were used to confirm the membrane permeability after surface modification. A tensile test showed that the coated membranes' strength was within an acceptable range of one another. Magnetron sputtering did not lead to significant changes in the water permeability, nor a notable reduction in the pore diameter of the resulting Ti-TM and TiO2-Ti-TM hybrid membranes. Sputtered coatings on top of the TM surface significantly reduced the water contact angle from 72 degrees for an untreated TM to 33 degrees and 28 degrees for Ti-TM and TiO2-Ti-TM, respectively. This investigation shows that roll-to-roll magnetron sputtering is a viable approach to the largescale fabrication of hybrid membranes based on TM as model support.

Automated summary

The feasibility of large-scale surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate track-etched membranes (TM) using industrial roll-to-roll planar magnetron sputtering of Ti and TiO2 was investigated in this study. The results showed that the sputtered coatings did not significantly change water permeability or reduce pore diameter, indicating that magnetron sputtering is a viable method for the large-scale fabrication of hybrid membranes based on TM.