Membrane supports

Fig. 18. Cross-sectional scanning electron micrograph of a three-layered alumina membrane/support (pore sizes 0.2, 0.8, and 12 p.m, respectively).

The teehniques of membrane extraetion permit an effieient and modern applieation of elassieal liquid-liquid extraetion (LLE) ehemistry to instmmental and automated operation. Various shorteomings of LLE are overeome by membrane extraetion teehniques as they use none or very little organie solvents, high enriehment faetors ean be obtained and there ai e no problems with emulsions. A three phase SLM system (aq/org/aq), where analytes are extraeted from the aqueous sample into an organie liquid, immobilized in a porous hydrophobie membrane support, and further to a seeond aqueous phase, is suitable for the extraetion of polar eompounds (aeidie or basie, ehai ged, metals, ete.) and it is eompatible with reversed phase HPLC. A two-phase system (aq/org) where analytes ai e extraeted into an organie solvent sepai ated from the aqueous sample by a hydrophobie porous membrane is more suitable for hydrophobie analytes and is eompatible with gas ehromatography. 

In this case study, a zirconia-alumina membrane has been developed using the sol-gel technique with and without support.6-7 The porous ceramic was prepared to fabricate the membrane support. A thin film of aluminum and zirconium were formed on the porous ceramic support. Unsupported membrane was also prepared. The unsupported membrane was not strong enough to hold a high-pressure gradient it was very fragile and not useful... 

Fig. 16.22. Non-uniform porous media of the ceramic membrane support.

Liquid film membranes consist of immiscible solutions held in membrane supports by capillary forces. The chemical composition of these solutions is designed to enhance transport rates of selected components through them by solubility or coupled chemical reaction. 

Direct and indirect competition formats, illustrated in Figure 1, are widely used for both qualitative and quantitative immunoassays. Direct competition immunoassays employ wells, tubes, beads, or membranes (supports) on to which antibodies have been coated and in which proteins such as bovine semm albumin, fish gelatin, or powdered milk have blocked nonspecific binding sites. Solutions containing analyte (test solution) and an analyte-enzyme conjugate are added, and the analyte and antibody are allowed to compete for the antibody binding sites. The system is washed, and enzyme substrates that are converted to a chromophore or fluorophore by the enzyme-tracer complex are added. Subsequent color or fluorescence development is inversely proportionate to the analyte concentration in the test solution. For this assay format, the proper orientation of the coated antibody is important, and anti-host IgG or protein A or protein G has been utilized to orient the antibody. Immunoassays developed for commercial purposes generally employ direct competition formats because of their simplicity and short assay times. The price for simplicity and short assay time is more complex development needed for a satisfactory incorporation of the label into the antibody or analyte without loss of sensitivity. 

The walls of thin vessels can be considered to be membranes supporting loads without significant bending or shear stresses similar to the walls of a balloon. 

Efforts to overcome the limitations of the fragile membranes (as delicate as soap bubbles) have evolved with the use of membrane supports, such as polycarbonate filters (straight-through pores) [543] or other more porous microfilters (sponge-like pore structure) [545-548]. 

Frank, R. (1992). Spot synthesis an easy technique for the positionally addressable, parallel chemical synthesis on a membrane support. Tetrahedron 48, 9217-9232. 

Carrier-mediated transport is linear with mucosal solute concentration until this concentration exceeds the number of available carriers. At this point the maximal solute flux (7max) is independent of further increases in mucosal solute concentration. In the linear range of solute flux versus mucosal concentration (C), the proportionality constant is the ratio of / to the solute-carrier affinity constant (Km). This description of Michaelis-Menten kinetics is directly analogous to time changes in mass per unit volume (velocity of concentration change) found in enzyme kinetics, while here the appropriate description is the time change in solute mass per unit surface area of membrane supporting the carrier. 

Didenko, V.V. (1993) Biotinylation of DNA on membrane supports A procedure for preparation and easy control of labeling of nonradioactive single-stranded nucleic acid probes. Anal. Biochem. 213, 75-78. 

Uemiya, S., T. Matsuda, and E. Kikuchi, Hydrogen permeable palladium-silver alloy membrane supported on porous ceramics, /. Membr. Sci., 56, 315,1991b. 

The titanosilicate version of UTD-1 has been shown to be an effective catalyst for the oxidation of alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols (77-79) by using peroxides as the oxidant. The large pores of Ti-UTD-1 readily accommodate large molecules such as 2,6-di-ferf-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP). The bulky 2,6-DTBP substrate can be converted to the corresponding quinone with activity and selectivity comparable to the mesoporous catalysts Ti-MCM-41 and Ti-HMS (80), where HMS = hexagonal mesoporous silica. Both Ti-UTD-1 and UTD-1 have also been prepared as oriented thin films via a laser ablation technique (81-85). Continuous UTD-1 membranes with the channels oriented normal to the substrate surface have been employed in a catalytic oxidation-separation process (82). At room temperature, a cyclohexene-ferf-butylhydroperoxide was passed through the membrane and epoxidation products were trapped on the down stream side. The UTD-1 membranes supported on metal frits have also been evaluated for the separation of linear paraffins and aromatics (83). In a model separation of n-hexane and toluene, enhanced permeation of the linear alkane was observed. Oriented UTD-1 films have also been evenly coated on small 3D objects such as glass and metal beads (84, 85). 

BiChlor contains mesh electrodes, the design of which has been carefully selected to have the most beneficial combination of gas and liquor transport, membrane support and high current-carrying capability. 

Freshly isolated or subcultured brain microvascular endothelial cells offer a notable in vitro tool to study drug transport across the blood-brain barrier. Cells can be grown to monolayers on culture plates or permeable membrane supports. The cells retain the major characteristics of brain endothelial cells in vivo, such as the morphology, specific biochemical markers of the blood-brain barrier, and the intercellular tight junctional network. Examples of these markers are y-glutamyl transpeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, von-Willebrandt factor-related antigen, and ZO-1 tight junctional protein. The methods of... 

In France, the first period of industrial production (l tc 1960s and early 1970s) was aimed at making the membranes for the Pierrelatte military enrichment plant. Most of the tubular membrane supports were made by CGEC, whereas the layers were made by SPEC. Since a good gaseous diffusion membrane does not wear out, it is very noteworthy that the original membranes are still in operation at this plant. 

For Eurodif and for Pierrelatte, the supports were made by private industrial companies, the final separating layer by SPEC and the CEA developed the process and had the overall technical responsibility. A handful of companies were competing to manufacture the membrane support structure. Finally, two companies proposing ceramic oxide based supports, Ceraver (the new name of CGEC) and Euroceral (a 50/50 joint venture between Norton and Desmarquest) each won 50% of the market. This happened in 1975. Within a matter of 6 years, each company had to deliver more than 2,000,000 m of supports which SPEC would convert into more than 4,000,000 m of membranes (Charpin and Rigny 1990). Special plants were built at a very rapid pace. These were close to Tarbes for Ceraver, close to Montpellier for Euroceral and close to the Eurodif site for SPEC. 

With anodic oxidation very controlled and narrow pore size distributions can be obtained. These membranes mounted in a small module may be suitable for ultrafiltration, gas separation with Knudsen diffusion and in biological applications. At present one of the main disadvantages is that the layer has to be supported by a separate layer to produce the complete membrane/support structure. Thus, presently applications are limited to laboratory-scale separations since large surface area modules of such membranes are unavailable. 

The separation efficiency (e.g. permselectivity and permeability) of inorganic membranes depends, to a large extent, on the microstructural features of the membrane/support composites such as pore size and its distribution, pore shape, porosity and tortuosity. The microstructures (as a result of the various preparation methods and the processing conditions discussed in Chapter 2) and the membrane/support geometry will be described in some detail, particularly for commercial inorganic membranes. Other material-related membrane properties will be taken into consideration for specific separation applications. For example, the issues of chemical resistance and surface interaction of the membrane material and the physical nature of the module packing materials in relation to the membranes will be addressed. 

For the sake of discussion, we have divided the separators into six types—microporous films, non-wovens, ion exchange membranes, supported liquid membranes, solid polymer electrolytes, and solid ion conductors. A brief description of each type of separator and their application in batteries are discussed below. 

Reflectance measurements provided an excellent means for building an ammonium ion sensor involving immobilization of a colorimetric acid-base indicator in the flow-cell depicted schematically in Fig. 3.38.C. The cell was furnished with a microporous PTFE membrane supported on the inner surface of the light window. The detection limit achieved was found to depend on the constant of the immobilized acid-base indicator used it was lO M for /7-Xylenol Blue (pAT, = 2.0). The response time was related to the ammonium ion concentration and ranged from 1 to 60 min. The sensor remained stable for over 6 months and was used to determine the analyte in real samples consisting of purified waste water, which was taken from a tank where the water was collected for release into the mimicipal waste water treatment plant. Since no significant interference fi-om acid compounds such as carbon dioxide or acetic acid was encountered, the sensor proved to be applicable to real samples after pH adjustment. The ammonium concentrations provided by the sensor were consistent with those obtained by ion chromatography, a spectrophotometric assay and an ammonia-selective electrode [269]. 

Proteins interact with the membrane (support) by hydrophobic and charge-transfer forces and hydrogen bridges. The extent of these interactions depends on the accessibility of respective area of a protein. The accessibility is influenced, among other things, by the composition of the surrounding buffer, e.g., pH, ionic strength and/or chaotropic additives. 

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