Chemical fibers phase-separation spinning

Hollow membrane fibers are required for many medical application, e.g. for disposable dialysis. Such fibers are made by usmg an appropriate fiber spinning technique with a special inlet in the center of the spinneret through which the fiber core forming medium (liquid or gas) is injected. The membrane material may be made by melt-spinning, chemical activated spinning or phase separation. The thin wall (15-500 xm thickness) acts as a semi-permeable membrane. Commonly, such fibers are made of cellulose-based membrane materials such as cellulose nitrate, or polyacrylonitrile, polymethylmethacrylate, polyamide and polypropylene (van Stone, 1985). 

Control of polymer purity and curability are the critical areas for future work. Some purity requirements will become quantified as this discussion proceeds. With regard to fiber cure, gas-phase chemical cure and energetic methods have been most effective to date 16,18). Fiber processing involving the dry spinning of thermally unstable polymers 4,11,19) may be of future importance, because the need for a separate cure step is eliminated. 

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