Disclosed is a thin film composite hollow fiber that includes an outer support layer having a thickness of 10 to 1000 μm and a polyamide thin film layer having a thickness of 1 to 10000 nm; and has a transmembrane pressure resistance rate of higher than 15 bar and a pure water permeability rate of higher than 0.8 Lm.sup.−2h.sup.−1bar.sup.−1. Also disclosed are methods of preparing the above-described support and composite hollow fiber.

Provided are: a porous polyether sulfone film having macrovoids and having excellent dimensional stability; and a production method therefor. Provided is a porous polyether sulfone film having a surface layer (a), a surface layer (b), and a macrovoid layer interposed between the surface layer (a) and the surface layer (b). The macrovoid layer has a partition wall joined to the surface layers (a) and (b) and a plurality of macrovoids surrounded by the partition wall and the surface layers (a) and (b). The surface layer (a) and the surface layer (b) have pores connected to the macrovoids.

The invention relates to macroporous, hydrophobic and isotropic polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes having improved properties and to a new method for preparing the same.

The present disclosure relates to improved semipermeable membranes based on acrylonitrile copolymers for use in dialyzers for the extracorporeal treatment of blood in conjunction with hemodialysis, hemofiltration or hemodiafiltration. The present disclosure further relates to methods of producing such membranes.

Multicomponent copolymers including two or more types of repeat units is presented. In one example, the multicomponent copolymer includes at least one repeat unit AC having a structure (I), at least one repeat unit DC having a structure (II), and at least one repeat unit BC having a structure (III) or (V). The multicomponent copolymer may be cross-linked via a cross-linking agent. A polymer blend including the multicomponent copolymer or a cross-linked copolymer and a second polymer is also provided. The multicomponent copolymer may be a random or a block copolymer. The structural units of the multicomponent copolymers provide improved, tunable properties, such as improved biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, protein fouling, and mechanical properties, to the copolymers and/or the membranes fabricated from the copolymers.

Described in the present application are methods of producing silane-crosslinked polymer membranes at moderate temperatures using acid catalysts that, in certain embodiments, result in membranes with unexpectedly high permeabilities and selectivities. In certain embodiments, grafting and crosslinking of the silanes occur by immersing a preformed membrane in a solution comprising a silane and an acid catalyst. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, grafting of silanes to a polymer occurs in the presence of acid catalyst in solution and subsequent casting and drying produces crosslinked membranes. In certain embodiments, an acid catalyst is a weak acid catalyst. Also described in the present application are asymmetric crosslinked polymer membranes with porous layers. In certain embodiments, crosslinked cellulose acetate membranes have permeability up to an order of magnitude greater than the permeability of unmodified cellulose acetate membranes. The membranes have porous layers with a high porosity due to their processing in moderate conditions.

Process for making membranes M comprising the following steps: a) providing a dope solution D comprising at least one polymer P and at least one solvent S, b) adding at least one coagulant C to said dope solution D to coagulate said at least one polymer P from said dope solution D to obtain a membrane M, wherein said at least one solvent S comprises more than 50% by weight of at least one compound according to formula (I) (I), wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently C.sub.1 to C.sub.20 alkyl, R.sup.3 is selected from H or an aliphatic rest, 20 R.sup.4 is selected from H or an aliphatic rest, AO represents at least one alkylene oxide, n is a number from 0 to 100. ##STR00001##

A mesoporous isoporous asymmetric material includes at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer, wherein the material has a transition layer having a thickness of at least 300 nm and a low macrovoid density, and the material has a sub-structure adjacent to said transition layer and said sub-structure comprises a high macrovoid density. A method for producing mesoporous isoporous asymmetric materials having macrovoids can include: dissolving at least one diblock or multiblock copolymer in a solution, the solution having one or more solvents and one or more nonsolvents, to form a polymer solution; dispensing the polymer solution onto a substrate or mold, or through a die or template; removing at least a portion of solvent and/or nonsolvent from the polymer solution to form a concentrated polymer solution; and exposing the concentrated polymer solution to a nonsolvent causing precipitation of at (least a portion of the polymer from the concentrated polymer solution.

A method of creating a hydrophobic polymer membrane surface includes depositing a polymer material onto a heated carrier, using the heated carrier, transporting the polymer material past an electrode field generator, generating an electric field adjacent the carrier, using the electric field to form a pattern in the polymer material to form a patterned polymer membrane, rinsing the patterned polymer membrane in a first bath, and setting the pattern into the patterned polymer membrane in a second bath.

There is provided a composite hollow fiber membrane for gas and vapour separation comprising: a porous membrane substrate; and a selective layer of cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) provided on a surface of the porous membrane substrate, wherein the molecular weight of the cross-linked PDMS is 100 kg/mol. There is also provided a method of forming the composite hollow fiber membrane, and a method of forming the cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) having a molecular weight 100 kg/mol.