STERILISABLE VENT

摘要

There is provided a sterilisable vent, for use in a sterilisation apparatus, formed of a porous composite material, the composite material comprising expanded PTFE membrane and a layer of non-expanded sintered porous PTFE attached to the expanded PTFE. The layers may be attached directly to one another, with no bonding material. A small amount of certain modifying materials may be included in the PTFE layers. A thicker material may be built up from multiple alternating layers of expanded and non-expanded PTFE material. The porous composite material is permeable to gases and liquids, is heat resistant to temperatures above 200 DEG C, is resistant to chemical attack, and shows little or no shrinkage under repeated exposure to steam sterilisation.