PROCESS FOR OBTAINING HYDROPHILIC MEMBRANES FROM POLY(N-VINYL-2-PYRROLIDONE) PVP

摘要

The process comprises the steps of: obtaining diethyl maleate from maleic anhydride; purifying the diethyl maleate and submitting it to two or more distillation steps, for removing remaining contaminants; mixing a load of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-PVP with a load of the distilled diethyl maleate, forming a mixture having a concentration predetermined as a function of the membrane to be obtained; hot treating the mixture so as to graft the diethyl maleate to the poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-PVP; adding to the heated mixture, the additional components defined by poly(ethylene glycol)-PEG, agar and water, until reaching 100% by weight of a hydrophilic composition; cooling the hydrophilic composition to the ambient temperature; and submitting the cooled hydrophilic composition to electron beam irradiation, obtaining a hydrogel.