The present invention relates to new, improved or modified
polymer materials, membranes, substrates, and the like and to new, improved or modified methods for permanently modifying the physical and / or chemical nature of surfaces of the
polymer substrate for a variety of end uses or applications. For example, one
improved method uses a
carbene and / or
nitrene modifier to chemically modify a
functionalized polymer to form a
chemical species which can chemically react with the surface of a
polymer substrate and alter its chemical reactivity. Such method may involve an
insertion mechanism to modify the
polymer substrate to increase or decrease its
surface energy, polarity, hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, oleophilicity or oleophobicity, and / or the like in order to improve the compatibility of the
polymer substrate with, for example, coatings, materials, adjoining
layers, and / or the like. Furthermore, this invention can be used to produce chemically modified membranes, fibers, hollow fibers, textiles, and the like, for example, to produce
polyolefin microporous battery separators or membranes having improved hydrophilicity or wettability, having crosslinking in the
polyolefin which can improve the high temperature stability, and / or the like.