Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Unprecedented spatial control of porosity and functionality in nanoporous membranes through 3D printing and microscopy for polymer writing

Project description

3D printing of innovative nanoporous membranes

Membranes are selectively permeable barriers. Be they biological or technological, their capabilities largely depend on structural characteristics of the embedded nanopores, along with the composition and architecture of the separation layer(s). The EU-funded 3D-FNPWriting project aims to develop a technology platform which can control these parameters. Based on 3D printing and polymer writing via high resolution microscopy techniques, the platform will allow the manufacturing of functionalised nanopores and separation layers to create bespoke, multifunctional membranes with controllable rates of permeability. Such membranes have many applications, including water and energy management in smart home and smart industry concepts, and are seen to be essential for a sustainable future.

Objective

Membranes are key materials in our life. Nature offers high performance membranes relying on a parallel local regulation of nanopore structure, functional placement, membrane composition and architecture. Existing technological membranes are key materials in separation, recycling, sensing, energy conversion, being essential components for a sustainable future. But their performance is far away from their natural counterparts. One reason for this performance gap is the lack of 3D nanolocal control in membrane design. This applies to each individual nanopore but as well to the membrane architecture. This proposal aims to implement 3D printing (additive manufacturing, top down) and complex near-field and total internal reflection (TIR) high resolution microscopy induced polymer writing (bottom up) to nanolocally control in hierarchical nanoporous membranes spatially and independent of each other: porosity, pore functionalization, membrane architecture, composition. This disruptive technology platform will make accessible to date unachieved, highly accurate asymmetric nanopores and multifunctional, hierarchical membrane architecture/ composition and thus highly selective, directed, transport with tuneable rates. 3D-FNPWriting will demonstrate this for the increasing class of metal nanoparticle/ salt pollutants aiming for tuneable, selective, directed transport based monitoring and recycling instead of size-based filtration, accumulation into sewerage and distribution into nature. Specifically, the potential of this disruptive technology with respect to transport design will be demonstrated for a) a 3D-printed in-situ functionalized nanoporous fiber architecture and b) a printed, nanolocally near-field and TIR-microscopy polymer functionalized membrane representing a thin separation layer. This will open systematic understanding of nanolocal functional control on transport and new perspectives in water/ energy management for future smart industry/ homes.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG

See all projects funded under this call

Host institution

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT DARMSTADT
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 499 844,00
Address
KAROLINENPLATZ 5
64289 DARMSTADT
Germany

See on map

Region
Hessen Darmstadt Darmstadt, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 499 844,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0