Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGBPlasma glow discharge is a versatile method for chemical surface modification of polymer membranes. With this technique, etching, (regioselective) functionalization or deposition of a thin film in the nanometer range is possible with only a very low consumption of precursor chemicals.
In this way, the pore size of asymmetric membranes can be adjusted by etching or plasma polymerization as desired to adjust filtration properties or to create a closed, pinhole-free thin film with an adjustable crosslink density. The latter makes it possible to create a solvent-stable permselective layer for the separation of organic vapors or solvents.