US 7,678,838 B2 · Nanothin polymer films with selective pores and method of use thereof

Abstract

A method of preparing nanothin polymer films having uniform and selectively sized pores utilizing pore forming templates. Lipids and pore forming templates are dissolved into a first solution. The solvent is removed thereby creating a lipid bilayer with pore forming templates dispersed throughout. The bilayer is hydrated and monomers and crosslinkers are added to create a second solution. A nanothin film with pore forming templates is created through polymerization of said second solution. The pore forming templates are dissolved into a third solution by addition of a chemical in which the pore forming template is soluble, but the lipid bilayer is insoluble. This third solution is separated from the mixture leaving a nanothin polymer film with pores of a uniform thickness and surface area. In summary, the guided assembly method presented here suggests a new general strategy for the fabrication of nanothin materials with controlled permeability, which provides improvements over the currently existing technology.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A method of producing a polymer film with pores, comprising:

providing a lipid;
providing a pore forming template;
dissolving the lipid and the pore forming template into a first solution;
drying the first solution in order to create a lipid film with the pore forming templates dispersed throughout;
hydrating the lipid film in order to create a second solution;
extruding the second solution to form a unilamellar, uniform lipid film;
providing a monomer in an effective amount so that a pore forming template spans a thickness of a formed polymer film in a lipid bilayer of the lipid film;
providing a crosslinker;
adding the monomer and the crosslinker to the extruded second solution;
polymerizing the second solution in order to form the lipid bilayer with an interior, hydrophobic, polymer film with the pore forming templates dispersed throughout, wherein the polymer film has a thickness so that the pore forming template spans the thickness of the polymer film;
dissolving the pore forming templates into a third solution by addition of a solvent;
and
removing the third solution by separation in order to leave a polymer film with pores of a uniform thickness and surface area.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Nanothin polymer films with selective pores and method of use thereof

Life of this patent

Nanothin polymer films with selective pores and method of use thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10