Fluoropolymer membrane
AssigneePall Corporation
InventorsRobert Ieraci, Thomas K. Hartmann, David Newman, Nicholas Zerilli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A porous fluoropolymer membrane comprising a first surface, a second surface, nodes and free fibrils, wherein one of the first and second surfaces has a greater number of free fibrils per unit area of the surface than the other of the first and second surfaces, is disclosed. A process for preparing porous fluoropolymer membranes is also disclosed, comprising splitting a thicker membrane in a dimension different from, e.g., perpendicular to, its thickness dimension.
Claims21
A porous fluoropolymer membrane comprising a first surface, a second surface, nodes, and free fibrils, the free fibrils having at least two ends, one of which is attached to a node and at least one other end which is unattached to a node;
- wherein one of the first and second surfaces has a greater number of free fibrils per unit area of the surface than the other of the first and second surfaces.
A porous fluoropolymer membrane comprising a first surface, a second surface, and free nodes, the free nodes having free fibrils attached, the free fibrils having a least two ends, one of which is attached to a free node, and at least one other end which is unattached to a node wherein one of the first and second surfaces has a greater number of free nodes per unit area of the surface than the other of the first and second surfaces.
A process for splitting a fluoropolymer membrane comprising:
- a) providing an expanded fluoropolymer membrane having nodes and fibrils and having a first surface and a second surface and a thickness;
- b) bonding at least a portion of the first and/or second surface of the fluoropolymer membrane to a first and/or a second support;
- c) pulling or peeling the first support, the second support, or the first or second supports apart so that the fluoropolymer membrane splits in a dimension different from its thickness dimension to provide a fluoropolymer membrane having a third surface and a fourth surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.