Data underlying the publication: Microgel-based etalon membranes: characterization and properties

We introduce Microgel-based Etalon Membranes (MEM), based on the combination of stimuli-responsive microgelswith an etalon, which is an optical device consisting of two reflecting plates and is used to filter specific wavelengthsof light. The microgels are sandwiched between two reflective layers and, in response to a stimulus (e.g., temperature,pH, or biomarker concentration) swell or de-swell, thereby changing the distance between the two reflective layers, andgenerating multiple peaks in the reflectance spectra. This property gives a MEM the unique capability of simultaneousseparation and tunable responses to the environmental changes and/or biomarker concentrations. We propose a designbased on gold layers on a silicon nitride wafer membrane. Our comprehensive characterization, employing perme-ability experiments, in-situ optical reflectance spectroscopy, in-liquid AFM analysis, and captive bubble contact anglemeasurements, elucidates the dynamic response of MEM to pH, temperature, and glucose stimuli and the correspond-ing effect of microgel swelling/de-swelling on the membrane properties, e.g., permeability. The AFM results confirmthe dynamic changes of the microgel layer’s thickness on the membrane surface in response to the stimuli. Althoughthe microgel’s swelling/deswelling influences the effective pore radius, the decrease in the membrane’s permeance islimited to less than 10%. In the swollen state of the microgels, the etalon membranes show a prominent hydrophilicbehavior, while they become less hydrophilic in the microgels’ de-swollen state

本研究提出了基于微凝胶的标准具膜（Microgel-based Etalon Membranes, MEM），该器件将刺激响应型微凝胶（stimuli-responsive microgels）与标准具（etalon）相结合。标准具是一种由两片反射板组成、用于过滤特定波长光线的光学器件。微凝胶被夹在两层反射层之间，当受到刺激（如温度、pH值或生物标志物浓度）时会发生溶胀或去溶胀，从而改变两层反射层之间的间距，并在反射光谱中产生多个峰值。这一特性使得MEM兼具分离功能与对环境变化或生物标志物浓度的可调谐响应能力，是其独特优势。本研究提出了一种基于氮化硅晶圆膜上镀金层的MEM设计方案。本研究采用渗透性实验、原位光学反射光谱、液相原子力显微镜（Atomic Force Microscopy, AFM）分析以及captive气泡接触角测量，对MEM进行了全面表征，阐明了MEM对pH、温度及葡萄糖刺激的动态响应，以及微凝胶溶胀/去溶胀对膜性能（如渗透性）的相应影响。AFM测试结果证实，膜表面微凝胶层的厚度会随外界刺激发生动态变化。尽管微凝胶的溶胀/去溶胀会影响膜的有效孔径半径，但膜的渗透通量下降幅度被限制在10%以内。当微凝胶处于溶胀状态时，标准具膜表现出显著的亲水特性；而在微凝胶去溶胀状态下，其亲水性则有所降低。