Polymer-based membranes represent an irreplaceable group of materials that can be applied in a wide range of key industrial areas, from packaging to high-end technologies. Increased selectivity to transport properties or the possibility of controlling membrane permeability by external stimuli represents a key issue in current material research. In this work, we present an unconventional approach with the introduction of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into membrane pores, by immobilising them onto the surface of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) foil with subsequent physical modification by means of laser and plasma radiation prior to membrane preparation. Our results showed that the surface characteristics of AgNP-decorated PET (surface morphology, AgNP content, and depth profile) affected the distribution and concentration of AgNPs in subsequent ion-track membranes. We believe that the presented approach affecting the redistribution of AgNPs in the polymer volume may open up new possibilities for the preparation of metal nanoparticle-filled polymeric membranes. The presence of AgNPs on the pore walls can facilitate the grafting of stimuli-responsive molecules onto these active sites and may contribute to the development of intelligent membranes with controllable transport properties.

Department of Neutron Physics Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences 250 68 Husinec Czech Republic

Department of Physics Faculty of Science University of Jan Evangelista Purkyně in Ústí nad Labem 400 03 Usti nad Labem Czech Republic

Department of Solid State Engineering University of Chemistry and Technology Prague 166 28 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Heyrovského nám 2 162 06 Prague Czech Republic

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