Bifunctional Membrane for Sterile Liquid Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sterile packaging solutions for liquids, particularly in pharmaceutical and ophthalmological applications, face challenges in maintaining sterility during multiple stages of consumption and distribution, as they rely on membranes that may not adequately prevent bacterial contamination from the external environment, especially when air is reintroduced into the bottle.
Innovation Solution
A sterile packaging bottle equipped with a bi-functional membrane that is both filtering and semi-permeable, charged with biocidal agents like silver ions, which distinguishes between air and liquid flows and provides ionic oxidation effects to maintain sterility by using a porous polymeric material with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties, combined with a porous pad to enhance biocidal activity and prevent contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a membrane with selective permeability is used to allow air entry and liquid expulsion, then the bottle can function without mechanical valves, but the membrane may not adequately prevent bacterial contamination from the external environment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite membrane structure combining hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials with biocidal agents. The hydrophilic portion allows liquid passage while the hydrophobic portion with biocidal properties (such as silver ions) prevents bacterial contamination. This composite approach enables valveless operation while maintaining sterility protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes porous polymeric materials with controlled porosity to create the selective permeability membrane. The porous structure enables fluid passage while the incorporated biocidal agents within the pores provide antibacterial protection, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and contamination prevention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If finer porosity is used in the membrane to prevent bacterial contamination, then sterility is improved, but the membrane cannot treat viscous liquids effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating zones with different porosity characteristics within the membrane. Certain regions have finer porosity for bacterial filtration while other areas have coarser porosity that allows viscous liquids to pass through effectively. The biocidal agents are distributed to provide protection across both zones.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining materials with different porosity characteristics and incorporating biocidal agents, the membrane achieves both fine filtration capability and viscous liquid permeability. The composite structure allows simultaneous achievement of sterility and adaptability to different liquid viscosities.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If preservatives are added to the liquid composition to maintain sterility, then bacterial contamination is prevented, but the liquid composition is altered and may not be suitable for all applications
Solution Approach 1:
The biocidal membrane acts as an intermediary between the liquid and external environment. Instead of adding preservatives to the liquid, the membrane provides the protective function, preserving the liquid composition integrity while preventing bacterial contamination through its biocidal properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the sterilization function from the liquid composition itself and relocates it to the membrane system. This removes the need for preservatives in the liquid while maintaining sterility protection, thereby preserving the liquid's original composition and suitability for various applications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains sterility by ensuring the biocidal agent's presence throughout the membrane and pad, reducing bacterial contamination risks, even with coarser porosities, allowing for the treatment of viscous liquids and extending the bottle's usability without preservatives, ensuring the liquid remains sterile until consumption.
Implementation Method 1
charged with biocidal agents like silver ions, which provides ionic oxidation effects to maintain sterility
Implementation Method 2
membranes with selective permeability for this purpose, in an arrangement where they allow themselves to be alternately crossed by liquid and by air depending on the pressure differentials on either side
Implementation Method 3
porous polymeric material with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties
Implementation Method 4
bacteriological protection membrane capable of acting as a filter against micro-organisms of the size of bacteria
Implementation Method 5
bottles with elastically deformable walls in general, the distribution of the liquid is ensured by manual compression of the bottle, and that the return of the bottle to its original inflated shape causes an entry of air
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~5
AI summary
The invention proposes a biological protection membrane which is mounted, in a device for dispensing liquid from a sterile packaging bottle, across a fluid-circulation duct, in the path of the liquid extracted from the bottle and the outside air which is drawn into the bottle. The membrane (7) is made partially of a hydrophilic material and partially of a hydrophobic material. Both the hydrophobic portion (23) and the hydrophilic portion (22) are made from a polymer base, laden in the body thereof with a biocidal agent that is active in the destruction of bacteria by the ionic oxidation effect. The circulation of fluids through the membrane (7) is organised so as to promote the ionic action on the flow of outside air in the hydrophobic material, and to drive the ionically charged active agent by the liquid passing through the membrane in the hydrophilic portion thereof. A porous buffer (8), inserted in the path of the fluids on the inside of the membrane, collects the active agent extracted from the membrane by the remaining liquid not dispensed, passing through the membrane from the outside towards the inside.