Ceramic whole blood hollow fiber membrane filter medium and use thereof for separating blood plasma/serum from whole blood

A method of manufacturing a whole blood hollow fiber filter, the method comprising the steps of:

• forming a whole blood hollow fiber membrane filter medium by a phase inversion process from a spinning dope including at least one ceramic powder material, at least one polymer, and at least one solvent;
• wherein the ceramic powder material comprises one or more ceramic materials selected from the group consisting of alumosilicate, magnesium silicate, and calcium titanate;
• wherein the polymer is polyacrylonitrile or polyethersulfone;
• wherein the solvent includes n-methyl-pyrrolidone;
• conducting the spinning dope through the annulus cross-section of a nozzle to give a green hollow fiber;
• sintering the green hollow fiber at a temperature from about 1,350° C. to about 1,700° C. for a time interval of at least 1 hour to form a ceramic hollow fiber having pores of a pore size that ensures permeability to blood plasma or serum, but retains blood cells, wherein a median pore diameter of the hollow fibers is in the range of from about 100 nm to about 1500 nm, or from about 150 nm to about 1300 nm, or from about 190 nm to about 1280 nm;
• applying a coating onto a radially inner surface of the surface of the one or more ceramic hollow fibers, the coating having at least one type of functional group from the carboxylate groups, the coating further including at least one type of functional groups selected from the group consisting of:
• amino groups, silane groups, and any combinations thereof;
• coating the radially inner surface of the surface of the ceramic hollow fibers with a coating material comprising bifunctional silanes with hydrolysable inorganic ethoxysilyl and fluoralkyl chains, or fluoralkyl functional oligosiloxanes;
• forming a whole blood hollow fiber membrane from one or more coated ceramic hollow fibers;
• providing a cylindrical filter housing having opposing ends and an opening for filtrate release in a cylindrical wall of the cylindrical filter housing, the opening arranged between the opposing ends of the housing;
• embedding opposing ends of the whole blood hollow fiber membrane in a potting/sealing material, potting/sealing the whole blood hollow fiber membrane in an interior of the cylindrical filter housing.