Chromatography membranes, devices containing them, and methods of use thereof

A fluid treatment device comprising:

• a housing unit, wherein the housing unit comprises:
• (a) an inlet, a retentate outlet, and a permeate outlet;
• (b) a fluid flow path between the inlet and the retentate outlet;
• and
• (c) a composite material within the housing unit, wherein the composite material comprises:
• a support member comprising a plurality of pores extending through the support member;
• and
• a non-self-supporting macroporous cross-linked gel comprising macropores having an average size of 10 nm to 3000 nm, said macroporous gel being located in the pores of the support member;
• wherein:
• the macroporous cross-linked gel is selected from the group consisting of N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide cross-linked copolymers and cross-linked polymers of isopropylacrylamide, dodecyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethylene oxide, hydroxymethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide, N-methacryloylacrylamide, N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, N-vinyl-pyrrolidone, octadecylacrylamide, octyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, styrene, or vinyl alcohol, or a mixture thereof;
• the cross-linked gel comprises functional groups, wherein said functional groups are Protein A;
• said macropores of said macroporous cross-linked gel are smaller than said pores of said support member;
• and
• the pores of the support member are substantially perpendicular to the fluid flow path from the inlet to the retentate outlet, and said fluid flow path from the inlet to the retentate outlet is substantially parallel to the surface of a filter medium comprising the composite material.