Polymeric articles and methods of manufacture thereof

Abstract

This invention provides a method for the preparation of an article from a blend of at least two molecularly compatible polymers by treating the blend with a solvent which is a solvent for one of the polymers and a non-solvent for the other. The solvent can be removed while the article is restrained from undergoing substantial shrinkage, in which case a microporous article is obtained. Alternatively, the solvent can be removed while the article is permitted to shrink. In this case high shrinkage force (also referred to as recovery force) results which can be utilized to apply the article to a substrate. The final and intermediate articles are novel. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides a microporous article having an average pore size of about 0.005 microns to about 1 micron.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.