Porous polymer beads and process
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A process for the preparation of isotropic polymer beads, said process comprising:
- (i) heating and mixing a polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of vinyl addition polymers, condensation polymers and oxidation polymers which are soluble in a liquid medium and form rigid structures at the temperatures at which said beads will be used with a mixture comprising an organic or inorganic liquid solvent capable of dissolving said polymer or copolymer without permanent chemical transformation and a liquid non-solvent which is immiscible with said polymer or copolymer to form a homogeneous solution;
(ii) breaking said homogenous solution into droplets;
(iii) cooling said droplets, optionally in the presence of an inert liquid, to bring about phase separation and solidification of the polyerm or copolymer in the droplets; and
(iv) separating the droplets from any inert liquid and the solvent-non-solvent mixture to produce isotropic porous beads.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Isotropic porous polymer beads having a high surface porosity and large pore diameters from about 0.002 to about 5 microns are produced from solutions of a polymer or a copolymer by a thermally-induced phase separation process. The use of mixed solvent-non-solvent combinations as solvents for the polymers, produces high pore content, substantially spherical beads having a morphology ideally suited to the chromatography of large molecules, such as proteins, and for enzyme-binding.
62 Citations
14 Claims
-
1. A process for the preparation of isotropic polymer beads, said process comprising:
-
(i) heating and mixing a polymer or copolymer selected from the group consisting of vinyl addition polymers, condensation polymers and oxidation polymers which are soluble in a liquid medium and form rigid structures at the temperatures at which said beads will be used with a mixture comprising an organic or inorganic liquid solvent capable of dissolving said polymer or copolymer without permanent chemical transformation and a liquid non-solvent which is immiscible with said polymer or copolymer to form a homogeneous solution; (ii) breaking said homogenous solution into droplets; (iii) cooling said droplets, optionally in the presence of an inert liquid, to bring about phase separation and solidification of the polyerm or copolymer in the droplets; and (iv) separating the droplets from any inert liquid and the solvent-non-solvent mixture to produce isotropic porous beads. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
Specification