An overview of biofunctional membranes for tunable separations, metal-ion capture, and enzyme catalysis based on research from the laboratories of Allan Butterfield and Dibakar Bhattacharyya

At the 2007 North American Membrane Sciences (NAMS) National Meeting in Orlando, a session largely devoted to functionalized membranes was held in honor of Professor Dibakar Bhattacharyya of the University of Kentucky Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and the Center of Membrane Sciences. This review will highlight some of the newest developments in biofunctional membranes conducted collaboratively by the Butterfield and Bhattacharyya laboratories. Specific details or raw data can be accessed in the original papers; this review will highlight the functionalization processes, major results, and applications. Emphasis is placed on: preparation of polypeptide-functionalized polycarbonate, track-etched membranes that are used in tunable separations; polythiol-functionalized alumina membranes that are used for metal-ion capture; and layer-by-layer assembled biofunctional membranes that are used for enzyme catalysis.