Microfiltration membranes having high pore density and mixed isotropic and anisotropic structure
US5906742A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 14, 1997 |
| Grant date | May 25, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 14, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB01D2325/36
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention relates to the field synthetic polymeric microfiltration membrane materials that are fabricated to separate liquids from solids contained therein. One aspect of the invention relates to a sulfone polymer membrane with high surface porosity (high pore density) and distinctive asymmetry that can separate solids (i.e., blood cells) from a liquid (i.e., plasma) without the need for centrifugation. The membrane is further rendered hydrophilic through co-casting the sulfone polymer (which is a hydrophobic polymer) with a hydrophilic polymer, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone. Because of these properties and the fact that it requires only a small amount of the solid containing liquid (i.e., whole blood) to be applied to the larger pore surface, the membranes of the invention are highly useful in testing devices for the quick detection of properties or components contained in liquid samples, such as diagnostic applications (i.e., the detection of physiological conditions (i.e., pregnancy, insulin levels, stomach ulcer, and the like) and infectious diseases (i.e., AIDS, hepatitis, and the like)).
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.