Materials and Material Properties

Membranes can be made from a large number of different materials. As mentioned in chapter I, a first classification can be made into two groups, i.e. biological and synthetic membranes. Biological membranes are essential for life on earth. Every living cell is surrounded by a membrane, but these membranes differ completely in structure, functionality etc. from synthetic organic and inorganic membranes. A detailed description is beyond the scope of this book but a short survey will be given at the end of this chapter.