Membrane laminate

• US 10,328,393 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2008
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMD Millipore Corporation (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Rautio, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Menon, Krishnan S
• Application Number:
  US12/451,467
• Publication Number:
  US 20100181248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,058 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2313/16 Specific vents
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2323/081 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 61/145 Ultrafiltration
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/081 Manufacturing thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/084 at least one flow duct intersecting the membranes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 63/087 Single membrane modules
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 65/003 Membrane bonding or sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/10 Supported membranes; Membrane supports
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 69/107 Organic support material
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/34 Polyvinylidene fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 71/68 Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/00 Joining or sealing of preformed parts , e.g. welding of plastics materials; Apparatus therefor general aspects of processes or apparatus for joining preformed parts B29C66/00; using porous material formed by internal pressure generated therein for joining preformed parts B29C44/1228, B29C44/326
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/18 using heated tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/0042 of the joining tool and the parts to be joined B29C66/0046 takes precedence; joining tool characterized by its composition B29C66/8122; joining tool characterized by its microstructure B29C66/8124
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/24221 being circular B29C66/51 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/24244 forming a rectangle
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/30326 in the form of porosity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/71 characterised by the composition of the plastics material of the parts to be joined welding bar compositions B29C65/125
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/712 : the composition of one of the parts to be joined being different from the composition of the other part
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/727 : being porous, e.g. foam
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/8122 : characterised by the composition of the material constituting the pressing elements, e.g. constituting the welding jaws or clamps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91421 : of the joining tools
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91431 : the temperature being kept constant over time
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/919 : characterised by specific temperature, heat or thermal flux values or ranges specific electrical resistance values B29C66/81262
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/91933 : higher than said fusion temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/929 : characterized by specific pressure, force, mechanical power or displacement values or ranges
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/9492 : in explicit relation to another variable
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2027/16 : PVDF, i.e. polyvinylidene fluoride
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2081/06 : PSU, i.e. polysulfones; PES, i.e. polyethersulfones or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0085 : Copolymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0088 : Blends of polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/04 : cellular or porous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2827/18 : PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene, e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2022/00 : Hollow articles tubular articles B29L2023/00; pneumatic tyres B29L2030/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/14 : Filters optical filters B29L2011/0066, sieves or screens B29L2031/737
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 : Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

Abstract

A laminate is provided comprising at least one polysulfone and/or polyethersulfone porous membrane heat bonded to a polyvinylidene fluoride substrate.

Claims

1. An ultrafiltration device, comprising:

a plurality of porous ultrafiltration membranes, wherein the plurality of porous ultrafiltration membranes is made of a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polysulfone, polyethersulfone, blends thereof and/or copolymers thereof;

a first support plate and a second support plate, each of the first support plate and the second support plate formed of polyvinylidene fluoride, the first and second support plates each having a first surface facing each other and a second surface opposite the first surface of each support plate;

wherein the plurality of porous ultrafiltration membranes are heat bonded to the first surface of said first support plate along a sealing line such that molten polyvinylidene fluoride infiltrates into pores of the porous ultrafiltration membranes and, optionally, wherein at least one second support plate comprises a porous ultrafiltration membrane;

a thermal bond between the first support plate and the second support plate, wherein the thermal bond forms a liquid tight seal outside the sealing line on each first support plate, wherein the number of porous ultrafiltration membranes is in a number equal to the number of the first support plates; and

at least one port, the at least one port formed from the first surface to the second surface of each the first support plate and the second support plate.

2. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, further comprising a composite membrane having at least one zone of asymmetry and at least one zone of symmetry.

3. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, having a first end and a second end, said device comprising a first outermost cassette on said first end of the ultrafiltration device, a second outermost cassette on said second end of the ultrafiltration device and two or more cassette frames disposed between.

4. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, wherein the first and second support plates are bonded to each other around the periphery of each.

5. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, wherein the first support plate has at least one additional port formed from the first surface through to the second surface of the first support plate.

6. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, wherein both the first support plate and the second support plate have at least one additional port formed from the first surface through to the second surface of each support plate.

7. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, wherein the first support plate has at least one additional port formed from the first surface through to the second surface of the first support plate and wherein that at least one additional port forms a vent.

8. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, further comprising a series of two or more additional first and second support plates with a membrane bonded to the first surface of each additional first support plate along a sealing line, each series of additional support plates being heat bonded to each other and adjacent second surfaces of the adjoining set of support plates outside of the sealing line.

9. The ultrafiltration device of claim 1, further comprising a series of two or more additional first and second support plates with a membrane bonded to the first surface of each additional first support plate along a sealing line, each series of additional support plates being heat bonded to each other and adjacent second surfaces of the adjoining set of support plates outside of the sealing line and a first end plate bonded to the outermost second surface of the first support plate and a second end plate bonded to the outermost surface of the second support plate in the series to form the liquid tight outer seal between adjacent plates.