Reactive Additives and Crosslinking for Hollow-Fiber Membrane Wettability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydrophobic sulfone polymer membranes exhibit poor water wettability and high protein adsorption, leading to membrane fouling and reduced permeability in aqueous media filtration applications.
Innovation Solution
A process involving a first solution with a hydrophobic aromatic sulfone polymer and an epoxy functional compound, combined with a second solution containing a diamine compound, is used to produce a modified microporous hollow-fiber membrane through crosslinking in a spinneret, enhancing hydrophobicity and reducing extractables while maintaining good filtration and retention properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydrophobic sulfone polymers are used for membrane production, then chemical stability and temperature stability are improved, but water wettability deteriorates and protein adsorption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating an asymmetric membrane structure where the skin layer has different properties than the supporting layer. The skin layer is designed with enhanced hydrophilicity through hydrophilic polymers to improve water wettability and reduce protein adsorption, while the bulk maintaining the chemical stability of sulfone polymers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining hydrophobic sulfone polymers with hydrophilic polymers (such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene glycol, or polysorbates) to create a membrane that exhibits both chemical stability and improved water wettability. This composite approach allows the membrane to benefit from the strengths of both material types.
2Stability of the object's composition
If hydrophobic sulfone polymer membranes are used, then structural stability is improved, but membrane fouling increases due to strong protein adsorption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating an asymmetric membrane structure where the skin layer has different properties than the supporting layer. The skin layer is designed with enhanced hydrophilicity through hydrophilic polymers to improve water wettability and reduce protein adsorption, while the bulk maintaining the chemical stability of sulfone polymers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining hydrophobic sulfone polymers with hydrophilic polymers (such as polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyethylene glycol, or polysorbates) to create a membrane that exhibits both chemical stability and improved water wettability. This composite approach allows the membrane to benefit from the strengths of both material types.
3Productivity
If asymmetric membrane structure with skin layer is implemented, then transmembrane flow and dirt-loading capacity are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating hydrophilic polymers into the membrane structure during the manufacturing process, before the membrane is put into service. This pre-modification ensures that the membrane has the desired hydrophilic properties from the start, avoiding the need for subsequent treatment steps and simplifying the overall process.
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 resulting membranes show improved wettability, reduced fouling, and enhanced filtration properties, suitable for applications in aqueous media filtration, particularly virus filtration.
Implementation Method 1
Bringing the first solution and the second solution into contact, thereby obtaining a modified microporous membrane comprising at least one first polymer and the crosslinked reaction product of the at least one epoxy functional compound and the at least one diamine compound
Implementation Method 2
Ultrafiltration membranes can be employed for the removal or separation of macromolecules
Implementation Method 3
Such membranes are generally classified according to their retention capacity, i.e. according to their capacity for retaining particles or molecules of a certain size, or with respect to the size of the effective pores
Implementation Method 4
In order to improve the water wettability and hence improve the permeability to aqueous media, and in order to prevent adhesion of proteins to the membrane surface, various attempts have been made to make membranes based on sulfone polymers hydrophilic
Implementation Method 5
it is known that hydrophobic membranes have a strong, non-specific ability to adsorb e.g. proteins, so that a rapid coating of the membrane surface with predominantly higher molecular constituents from the liquid to be filtered frequently occurs during use, consequently resulting in a deterioration of permeability
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a process for producing a modified microporous membrane, comprising (i) Providing a first solution comprising at least one first polymer and at least one epoxy functional compound; (ii) Providing a second solution comprising at least one diamine compound; (iii) Bringing the first solution and the second solution into contact, thereby obtaining a modified microporous membrane comprising at least one first polymer and the crosslinked reaction product of the at least one epoxy functional compound and the at least one diamine compound; wherein the modified microporous membrane is a hollow-fiber membrane; and wherein the first solution is a dope solution, the second solution is a bore solution, and bringing the first and second solutions into contact takes place in a spinneret.