One of the pioneers of dialysis membranes, Werner Henne, passes away.

摘要

Dr. Werner Henne (1922-2008), the renowned pioneer in the development of dialysis membranes, passed away on February 2,2008 at age 85 (Fig. 1).Werner Henne, known among his colleagues by his nickname "Mr. Cuprophan," received a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bonn, Germany. He started his professional career in 1953 when he joined the Bemberg Company in Wuppertal, Germany. Bemberg (later ENKA AG) at that time was one of the leading manufacturers of textile fibers and wrapping foils based on polymers such as cellulose, polyamide, and others. Initially, the trademark Cuprophan was at that tune exclusively applied for a cellulosic foil, produced by the cuproammonium rayon process. In the 1960s, the cellulose Cuprophan was applied for the first time to hemodialysis membranes in flat sheet form. Chemists and engineers, among them Werner Henne, used their skills in producing textile fibers arid foils to manufacture membranes for medical applications.