STABILIZED MICROPOROUS MATERIALS

• US 20020102674A1
• Filed: 07/07/1994
• Published: 08/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1987
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blodgett & Blodgett PC
• Original Assignee: Blodgett & Blodgett PC
• Inventors: ANDERSON, DAVID M
• Application Number:
  US08/272,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20020102674A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/174
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 15/425 Porous materials, e.g. foams or sponges
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 15/44 Medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/252 Polypeptides, proteins, e.g. glycoproteins, lipoproteins, cytokines
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2300/602 Type of release, e.g. controlled, sustained, slow
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/146 Porous materials, e.g. foams or sponges
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 31/16 Biologically active materials, e.g. therapeutic substances A61L31/047 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/18 Pore-control agents or pore formers
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/02 Details relating to pores or porosity of the membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/026 Sponge structure
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/10 Catalysts being present on the surface of the membrane or in the pores
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2325/42 Ion-exchange membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0006 by chemical reactions in-situ polymerisation, polycondensation, cross-linking or reaction for manufacturing composite membranes B01D69/125
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 67/0031 by elimination of at least one of the blocks of a block copolymer
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/02 characterised by their properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/141 Heterogeneous membranes, e.g. containing dispersed material; Mixed matrix membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2205/022 Hydrogel, i.e. a gel containing an aqueous composition
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/26 by elimination of a solid phase from a macromolecular composition or article, e.g. leaching out
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 9/28 by elimination of a liquid phase from a macromolecular composition or article, e.g. drying of coagulum
• CPC Class Codes: C12M 25/14 : Scaffolds; Matrices in general C12N5/0068
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/082 : obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/087 : Acrylic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2533/30 : Synthetic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 5/0068 : General culture methods using substrates for specific animal cell type C12N5/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/44747 : Composition of gel or of carrier mixture
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/043 : Contact lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/414 : Synthetic resins, e.g. thermoplastics or thermosetting resins
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1065 : characterised by the form, e.g. perforated or wave-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1072 : by chemical reactions, e.g. insitu polymerisation or insitu crosslinking
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

The invention involves a polymeric, microporous membrane material characterized by a continuous-triply-periodic, highly branched and interconnected pore space morphology having a globally uniform, pre-selected pore size, characterized by high porosity. And further involves several related methods for forming mircorporous membrane materials; including polymerization of the hydrophobic component in a ternary surfactant/water/hydrophobe cubic phase, and other thermodynamically stable or metastable phases of phase-segregated systems, especially systems which are substantially ternary or binary, and particualarly directed to applications of the novel material in: immobilization, encapsulation, and/or controlled release of biologically active agents, and other applications where a controlled pore size is necessary or advantageous.

Claims

1. A stabilized microporous material comprising:

a continuous, regular, branched and interconnected porespace morphology comprising pore bodies and pore throats, having a globally uniformm effective pore size, in which the pore bodies and the pore throats are substantially identical in size and shape respectively,

wherein the stabilized material arises from polymerization of an unpolymerized precursor component in combination with other components, all components forming a bicontinuous cubic phase at thermodynamic equilibrium, in a process comprising the steps of;

a. combining said unpolymerized precursor component with said other components,

b. thoroughly mixing all components,

c. allowing the resulting mixture to equilibrate to the bicontinuous cubic phase, and

d. polymerizing said precursor component.

2. A material as recited in claim 1, wherein the unpolymerized precursor component is in an aqueous phase.

3. A material as recited in claim 1, wherein the unpolymerized precursor component is in an hydrophobic phase.

4. A material as recited in claim 1 wherein the unpolymerized precursor component is in a polymerizable surfactant phase.

5. A stabilized microporous material as recited in claim 1 and having an effective pore diameter on the order of 10 nanometers.

6. A stabilized microporous material as recited in claim 1, wherein the porespace is isotopic and triply-periodic, and

wherein the effective pore size is larger than 2 nanometers (20 Angstroms).

7. A stabilized microporous material as recited in claim 1, wherein the standard deviation of effective pore size is of the order of magnitude of 3%, and

wherein the effective pore size is larger than 2 nanometers (20 Angstroms).

8. A material as recited in claim 1, wherein biologically active agents are incorporated at substantially preselected locations in the porespace.

9. A material as recited in claim 1, wherein the poresepace is at least partially filled with an active fluid agent for actively or passively controlled release.

10. A material as recited in claim 1, wherein said material consists essentially of biocompatible materials.

11. A polymeric microporous material comprising two distinct, interwoven but mutually disconnected porespace labyrinths, each of which is continuous, regular, branched and interconnected with itself, each having globally uniform effective pore size;

the distinct pore space labyrinths separated by a continuous stabilized dividing wall, the wall having two distinct surfaces, each surface facing one respective porespace labyrinth.

12. A polymeric microporous material as recited in claim 11, wherein the two district surfaces have different ion selectivity.

13. A polymeric microporous material as recited in claim 11, wherein the two distinct surfaces have different chiralty characteristics.