Major field of Study Development of electrospun membranes Dissertation Development of electrospun Polyimide membranes for oil-water separation. The College of Engineering of Dissertation committee chairperson Dr Francisco Botero EAFIT University Director of the Doctorate in Engineering Program announces the Director of dissertation research final examination of Dr Mónica Lucía Álvarez Láinez Full Professor at the Product Design Engineering Department Juliana Lasprilla Botero for the degree of Examining committee Ph.D. Luis Fernando Giraldo Morales Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Full Professor, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. M.S. Ph.D. Santiago Builes Toro Assistant Professor, Universidad EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia. Wednesday, September 25, 2019 at 08:00 am Ph.D. Jeffrey P. Youngblood, in Conference Hall 19 – 805 Professor of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, Indiana, Engineering Building USA. Medellin Campus President of the Board of the Doctoral Program in Engineering Dean Ricardo Taborda Ríos COLOMBIA This examination is open to the public ABSTRACT contact angles up to 158.55º. Those lab process conditions were scaled up to a semi-industrial Oil contamination has become one of the primary sources electrospinning machine. To enhance the mechanical of water pollution due to the development of industry and properties of those membranes, without altering their population, as well as frequent oil spill accidents. The hydrophobic behavior, they were coated with effects of this oily wastewater on the Earth’s ecosystems electrosprayed SiO2 particles and then hot pressed to are lethal. Hence, oil-water separation is becoming a attach the particles to fiber surface. Afterwards, significant environmental concern. Traditional methods membranes displayed good mechanical strength and for cleaning oily wastewater are efficient but too thermal stability, and also a dual biomimetic morphology complicated to operate and use additional chemicals. that increased their hydrophobicity and oleophicity, Whereby, more efficient and cost-effective methods are allowing to achieve a high oil-water selectivity (separating desired. Electrospun membranes provide a simple, low- up to 90% of oil from water). That superhydrophobic cost and energy-efficient solution for oil-water separation behavior followed the Cassie-Baxter mechanism, while because they do not need extra-processes; and also have the oleophilic behavior, the mechanisms of adsorption shown success in repelling different liquids. However, and capillary action. In this way, the outcomes of this concerns regarding their poor mechanical performance work represent a substantial advance towards the and low thermal stability limit their use. Therefore, the development of effective nanomaterials for oil-water development of electrospun membranes from high- separation applications, the current knowledge of performance materials as Polyimides (PI) is necessary. electrospinning and provide a methodology for large-scale The main objective of this study was to develop fabrication of electrospun PI membranes. hydrophobic and oleophilic electrospun PI membranes with a good mechanical performance reliable for oil-water Keywords: Polyimide (PI), Electrospinning, Oil-water separation, separation applications. Four different types of PIs were Superhydrophobicity, Oleophicity, Electrospraying, Solubility- electrospinnability map, Thermal post-treatment. evaluated to determine the influence of their chemical structure on the electrospinning process parameters and VITAE the morphological and hydrophobic characteristics of the electrospun membranes. After that, the effect of Juliana Lasprilla-Botero polymer/solvent interactions on polymer solution properties and morphology of electrospun membranes Juliana Lasprilla-Botero is Ph.D. candidate in were evaluated, noting that all solutions showed different Engineering at Universidad EAFIT. She earned a BS in morphological evolution and entanglement concentration Chemical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de according to the solvents used. From it, a solubility- Colombia in 2009, and a Master in engineering from electrospinnability map for a commercial PI was created. Universidad EAFIT in 2013. Throughout her research Using this map, a solvent mixture was designed to career, she has completed 1 month of internship at the increase fiber surface roughness and produce adhesion and adhesives laboratory from Universidad superhydrophobic PI nanofiber membranes with water de Alicante (Spain) under the supervision of Professor José Miguel Martín Martínez, 2 months at the Polymer (Colombia), and M.S and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Technology Institute from CSIC (Spain) Science from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona under the supervision of Professor José Ignacio (Spain). Dr. Builes has been Postdoctoral Researcher González de la Campa and, 7 months at the Institute at the Catalysis Center for Energy Innovation of of Agrochemistry and Food Technology from CSIC University of Delaware (USA) and, Research assistant (Spain) under the supervision of Professor José María at MATGAS 2000 AIE (Spain). His research interests Lagaron. Currently, Juliana is the Research Director are the applications of molecular modeling to solve of Proquinal S.A, a company member of Spradling and/or obtain a better insight of industrial problems. Group. Her research interests are mainly focused on The scope of his research is mainly focused on the development of new materials for polymer-coated applications of these atomistic simulations to fabrics, new textiles, coatings, and adhesives. separation processes and catalysis. Mónica Lucía Álvarez-Láinez Jeffrey P. Youngblood Dr Mónica Álvarez-Láinez is a full Professor of Jeffrey P. Youngblood is Professor of Materials Department of Product Design Engineering of Engineering of the School of Materials Engineering, Universidad EAFIT. Professor Alvarez obtained a BS in located at the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering at Chemical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Purdue University. Dr. Youngblood earned a BS in Colombia and a Ph.D. degree from the Department of Chemistry and Physics from Louisiana State Condensed Matter Physics at Valladolid University in University (USA), and a Ph.D. degree in Polymer Spain. Currently, she is a member of Design Science and Engineering from University of Engineering Research Group (GRID). Dr Álvarez- Massachusetts (USA). Dr. Youngblood has been Láinez has had as a principal sponsor Colciencias, Postdoctoral Researcher in Materials Science and which is the Department of Science and Technology in Engineering at Cornell University (USA). His main Colombia, as well as several Colombian companies. research interests are focused on polymeric materials She has delivered invited lectures at several and their application to the production of Universities in Colombia and has collaborative works nanostructures and biomaterials. Understanding how with different Research groups in Colombia and in surface chemical and physical structure relates to the United States. properties is key to understanding and therefore designing material interfaces. Santiago Builes Toro Luis Fernando Giraldo Morales Santiago Builes is Assistant Professor of the Department of Process Engineering at Universidad Luis Fernando Giraldo is a full professor of the Faculty EAFIT. Dr. Builes earned a BS in Chemical of Exact and Natural Sciences at Universidad de Engineering from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Antioquia. Dr. Giraldo earned a BS in Chemistry from Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia), and a Ph.D. degree in Chemical Sciences from the same university. Currently, he is the head of the Polymer Research laboratory (LIPOL) attached to the Universidad de Antioquia. This Laboratory seeks to be an academic and research reference for the study and application of polymeric materials at an industrial level, which serves as a center for the training of undergraduate and graduate students in areas related to polymer chemistry. Dr. Giraldo research interests are mainly focused on nanomaterials, polymer chemistry, synthesis of catalysts and, synthesis of carbon nanotubes and carbon silicate. .