Hydrophobic microporous hollow fiber membrane and process for producing this membrane and its use in membrane oxygenation

摘要

Production of a microporous polysulfone hollow-fiber membrane for membrane oxygenation comprises coating the gas side of the membrane with a hydrophobic material. Production of a microporous polysulfone hollow-fiber membrane for membrane oxygenation involves: (a) extruding a spinning solution comprising 12-20 wt.% polysulfone and 2-10 wt.% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in a polar aprotic solvent (S1) through an annular die, where the solution has a viscosity of 0.5-3 Pas; (b) simultaneously extruding a precipitant comprising S1 and at least 35 vol.% of a non-solvent for the polysulfone so that the polysulfone in the extruded hollow fibers is completely precipitated before the fibers contact a wash fluid; (c) removing precipitant-dissolved PVP and S1 from the fibers with a wash fluid; and (d) coating the gas side of the resulting hollow-fiber membrane with a coating solution containing a hydrophobic material. An Independent claim is also included for a microporous hollow-fiber membrane for membrane oxygenation, consisting of 90-99 wt.% polysulfone and 1-10 wt.% PVP, where the gas side of the membrane is coated with a hydrophobic material that does not occlude the pore openings.