Agathe Lizée PhD defense
Use of the electrokinetic leakage phenomenon as a tool for advanced characterization of membrane materials
Jeudi 16 octobre 2025, 09h30Tremenet
Chemistry and Process Engineering (CIP) team
Abstract
Membrane separation techniques are widely used in various application sectors, mainly thanks to the considerable variety of membrane materials, structures and module configurations available. To ensure optimum separation, membrane properties must be carefully selected. Numerous characterization techniques are available to study them in depth. In particular, the calculation of zeta potential helps to understand or predict separation performance. In the case of membranes, this parameter is classically determined from tangential measurements of the streaming current or potential. However, parasitic phenomena such as the electrokinetic leakage can interfere with these measurements.
This thesis seeks to transform the vision of electrokinetic leakage, considered until now as an undesirable parasitic phenomenon, in order to demonstrate that useful information can be extracted from it. Tangential measurements (flow current and potential, electrical resistance) were used to exploit the electrokinetic leakage in the case of surface functionalization of polymer membranes with polyelectrolytes, degradation of membrane material and wetting of hydrophobic membranes. The added value provided by the electrokinetic leakage analysis has been successfully demonstrated by accessing the zeta potential inside pores and highlighting physical phenomena occurring inside the porous membrane matrix.
Jury
Patrick Fievet, University Louis & Marie Pasteur, Besançon / Reporter
Nicolas Jouault, Sorbonne University, Paris / Reporter
Lydéric Bocquet, ENS, Paris / Examiner
Christel Causserand, University of Toulouse / Examiner
Estelle Couallier, CNRS GEPEA, Saint-Nazaire / Examiner
Emmanuelle Filloux, CIRSEE - SUEZ, Le Pecq / Examiner
Anthony Szymczyk, University of Rennes, ISCR / PhD Supervisor
Patrick Loulergue, University of Rennes, ISCR / PhD Co-Supervisor
Contacts
Agathe Lizée, agathe.lizee@univ-rennes.fr
Patrick Loulergue, patrick.loulergue.1@univ-rennes.fr
Anthony Szymczyk, anthony.szymczyk@univ-rennes.fr
