HOLLOW FILAMENT MEMBRANE FOR THE SEPARATION OF PLASMA, AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING IT

摘要

A method for production of porous hollow polymer fiber membranes. A homogeneous mixture is prepared from at least two components where one component is a fusible polymer (10 to 30 percent) and a solvent component (70-90%) is inert relative to the polymer and where said components form a binary system having in the liquid state a region of complete miscibility as well as a miscibility gap. The mixture is extruded at a temperature above the phase segregation temperature of the mixture through a hollow fiber nozzle into a spinning tube containing a solvent inert to the polymer and having a temperature below the segregation temperature. Fiber and liquid are moved in the spinning tube in the same direction at about the same speed. After solidification the hollow fiber membrane is washed with a solvent. A liquid mixture containing biological cells and macromolecules is passed through the membrane produced for filtration and a filtration factor for human blood proteins with molecular weights of from about 60,000 to 3 million results of at least about 0.7.