Biocompatible Separating Material via Thermal Graft Polymerization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing separating materials for adsorptive separation applications are not biocompatible, require toxic organic solvents, and have harsh reaction conditions, making them unsuitable for medical applications, particularly for the removal of toxins from blood or in hemodialysis.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a solid substrate with amino-functional groups covalently coupled to a thermally labile radical initiator, allowing for thermally initiated graft copolymerization of polymerizable monomers without the need for organic solvents, minimizing homopolymerization, and ensuring mild reaction conditions, resulting in a biocompatible separating material suitable for medical applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If carbon tetrachloride is used as an organic reactant in graft polymerization, then the polymerization process can proceed, but toxic residues remain in the porous polymeric structure making the material inappropriate for medical applications
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful organic solvent (carbon tetrachloride) is extracted and removed from the polymerization system. The invention replaces it with an aqueous environment, eliminating the toxic residue problem while maintaining the graft polymerization process functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The reaction medium parameter is changed from organic (carbon tetrachloride) to aqueous. This parameter change eliminates toxicity while preserving the essential polymerization chemistry through appropriate selection of water-soluble reagents and conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If exhaustive rinsing or washing is used to remove carbon tetrachloride, then toxic residues are removed, but enormous costs are incurred making the material commercially unattractive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attempting to extract and remove the harmful substance after contamination, the invention prevents contamination from the start by using an aqueous reaction medium. This eliminates the need for costly exhaustive rinsing or washing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful effect (toxic residue contamination) is prevented in advance by choosing an inherently non-toxic reaction medium (water-based). This preliminary prevention avoids the need for subsequent costly removal operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If UV activation is used for polymerization, then the reaction can proceed, but uniform functionalization over the entire surface of the porous polymeric matrix is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The UV activation method (electromagnetic field-based) is replaced with a thermal initiation system. The thermal method provides more uniform energy distribution and reaction progression throughout the porous matrix, achieving uniform functionalization.
Solution Approach 2:
The activation parameter is changed from UV irradiation to thermal heating. This parameter change results in more uniform reaction conditions throughout the porous structure, achieving homogeneous functionalization across the entire surface.
4Ease of manufacture
If harsh reaction conditions are used, then the polymerization process can proceed, but the preparation methods are restricted to reactants which withstand such conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The reaction conditions parameter is changed from harsh to mild (aqueous environment, moderate temperatures). This parameter change expands reactant selection to include water-soluble monomers, biomolecules, and sensitive functional groups that would decompose under harsh conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
Water acts as an intermediary medium that enables gentle reaction conditions. It provides a benign environment that allows diverse reactants including biomolecules and sensitive functional groups to participate in the polymerization without decomposition.
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 method produces a biocompatible separating material that effectively removes undesired substances from blood plasma without residual toxic solvents, providing a 'clean' chemistry and precise control over the polymerization process, suitable for medical applications such as hemodialysis.
Implementation Method 1
covalently coupling of the amino-functional groups with a thermally labile radical initiator
Implementation Method 2
thermally initiated graft copolymerization of the monomers takes place
Implementation Method 3
covalently coupling of the amino-functional groups with a thermally labile radical initiator
Implementation Method 4
thermally initiated graft copolymerization of the monomers takes place, to form a structure of adjacent functional polymer chains on the surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 5
a material that is useful as an adsorption material and/or as a dialysis material and/or as a filtration material for the separation of substances
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a separating material producable by a) providing a solid substrate, having amino-functional groups coupled to the substrate surface, b) covalently coupling of the amino-functional groups with a thermally labile radical initiator, c) contacting the substrate surface with a solution of polymerizable monomers under conditions, where thermally initiated graft copolymerization of the monomers takes place, to form a structure of adjacent functional polymer chains on the surface of the substrate. The present invention further provides a method for the production of a separating material by a) providing a solid substrate, having aminofunctional groups coupled to the substrate surface, b) covalently coupling of the aminofunctional groups with a thermally labile radical initiator, c) contacting the substrate surface with a solution of polymerizable monomers under conditions, where thermally initiated graft copolymerization of the monomers takes place, to form a structure of adjacent functional polymer chains on the surface of the substrate.