Gas-Permeable Container Using PTFE Membrane for High-Density Cell Culture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods fail to supply sufficient oxygen to culture media for high-density cultivation of aerobic microorganisms or animal/plant cells, leading to decreased dissolved oxygen concentration and slow growth rates.
Innovation Solution
A gas-permeable container with a membrane material having a water evaporation ratio of 1.1 or more, preferably made from polyolefin or fluororesin, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, which enhances oxygen transfer and maintains high dissolved oxygen levels by adjusting the water evaporation rate and using a culture system with sensors and liquid supply devices for precise liquid management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional culture containers or oxygen supply methods are used, then the culture system can operate, but sufficient oxygen cannot be supplied to the entire culture medium, resulting in low dissolved oxygen concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane as the container material, which contains numerous micro-pores that allow oxygen to diffuse through the container wall into the culture medium. This porous structure provides a large surface area for gas exchange, enabling sufficient oxygen supply throughout the entire culture medium volume, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining dissolved oxygen concentration and achieving high culture productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the container material by using polytetrafluoroethylene with specific properties: contact angle of 70-110 degrees (hydrophobic surface), thickness of 0.01-3.0 mm, and specific porous structure. These parameter changes enable the container to simultaneously maintain structural integrity and provide excellent oxygen permeability, allowing sufficient oxygen dissolution in the culture medium while supporting high-density cell culture.
2Quantity of substance
If high-density cell culture is performed, then large amount of cells can be cultured, but oxygen consumption increases, resulting in decreased dissolved oxygen concentration and slow growth rate
Solution Approach 1:
The porous polytetrafluoroethylene membrane container acts as an intermediary between the external oxygen environment and the culture medium. The membrane's hydrophobic porous structure allows oxygen to pass through while preventing liquid leakage, serving as a mediator that continuously supplies oxygen to high-density cells without compromising the culture system's integrity, thus maintaining both high cell density and reliable growth rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The porous structure of the polytetrafluoroethylene membrane provides extensive surface area for oxygen diffusion, enabling sufficient oxygen transfer rates to support high-density cell cultures. The micro-pores allow rapid oxygen equilibration between the external environment and the culture medium, preventing oxygen depletion even when large amounts of cells are cultured, thereby maintaining consistent growth rates.
3Quantity of substance
If membrane material with high oxygen permeability is used, then oxygen transfer is enhanced, but water evaporation may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the membrane material parameters by selecting polytetrafluoroethylene with contact angle of 70-110 degrees and thickness of 0.01-3.0 mm. These parameter settings create a hydrophobic surface that preferentially allows gas permeability while resisting liquid penetration and evaporation. The specific thickness range balances oxygen diffusion distance with structural integrity, achieving high oxygen transfer rates while minimizing water loss through controlled evaporation.
Solution Approach 2:
The polytetrafluoroethylene membrane exhibits different local properties: the hydrophobic surface characteristics prevent water evaporation and liquid leakage, while the porous internal structure facilitates oxygen diffusion. This local differentiation of material properties within the same membrane allows simultaneous achievement of high oxygen transfer and low water evaporation, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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 gas-permeable container significantly increases the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, enabling efficient high-density cultivation of aerobic microorganisms or animal/plant cells by maintaining high dissolved oxygen concentrations and allowing for the discharge of gaseous waste products, thus optimizing culture performance.
Implementation Method 1
a gas-permeable container to be used while storing a liquid, in which at least the container uses a membrane material having a ratio of water evaporation amounts of about 1.1 or more
Implementation Method 2
at least the container uses a membrane material having a ratio of water evaporation amounts of about 1.1 or more
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a gas-permeable container, and for example, to a gas-permeable container suitable for culturing aerobic microorganisms or animal or plant cells. An object of the present invention is to provide a container having excellent gas permeability, and a culture apparatus and a culture system each using the container. The object is achieved by a gas-permeable container according to the present invention to be used while storing a liquid, in which at least the container uses a membrane material having a ratio of water evaporation amounts of about 1.1 or more.