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Climate change and population growth are putting increasing pressure on natural water resources. To ensure access to clean water for daily life, water purification technologies are needed. A common approach for cleaning water is the use of filtration membranes. However, many existing filtration membranes are made of polymers that break down over time, compromising the production of clean water. 

To overcome the limited stability of filtration membranes, this thesis presents a new type of membrane material in which the polymer is covered by a robust layer of nanoparticles. The formation of filtration membranes with unprecedented nanoparticle concentrations is investigated through microscopy studies and computer simulations, revealing how nanoparticles and polymer organize into porous structures. By carefully choosing the membrane precursor composition and nanoparticle surface chemistry, hollow fiber membranes are created that are directly suitable for water filtration.

Large-scale membrane manufacturing is realized by developing a film coating method that produces flat-sheet membranes of variable sizes. By analyzing the interaction between nanoparticles and surface-active molecules during membrane formation, control over the membrane structure is attained.

Filtration experiments demonstrate that the resulting membranes can remove small molecules from water and regulate water flow on demand. These insights into membrane formation and filtration combined with new membrane fabrication methods open new avenues for designing robust nanoparticle-decorated membranes for sustainable water treatment.

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