FABRICATION OF ELECTROSPUN NANO-POROUS MICROTUBE ARRAY MEMBRANE (MTAM) FOR PARTICLE SEPARATION

• Main Authors: Chew Chee Ho, 趙子豪
• Other Authors: Chen, Chien-Chung
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/39ygg7

碩士 === 臺北醫學大學 === 生醫材料暨組織工程研究所 === 104 === Traditionally, ceramic/polymeric membranes used in micro-filtration were adapted for nano-filtration. These membranes were mechanically poor with low permeability and porosity. With the arrival of the ‘nano-age’, demand for superior nanofiltration membranes increased significantly. Recently, a novel class of electrospun hollow fibers known as Microtube Array Membranes (MTAMs) was developed and adapted for nanofiltration application. Two types of electrospun MTAMs (ultra-thin and normal thickness) with different molecular weight of porogenic compound (Mw: 4600, 8000 and 20000 kDa) were fabricated at a voltage range of 6-8 kV; relative humidity of 55±4% and a temperature of 23±3°C. Microstructure analysis revealed the pore sizes were between 0.03±0.02 µm-0.09±0.02 µm (ultra-thin PLLA MTAMs) and 0.02±0.004 µm-0.11±0.01 µm (normal thickness PLLA MTAMs). Lumen thickness were in the range of 2.70±0.53 µm-2.24±0.33 µm (ultra-thin MTAMs); and 5.874±1.63 µm-5.16±1.58 µm (normal thickness MTAMs). Porometry testing revealed that PLLA/20 PEG 20000 registered a pore size distribution from 299 nm-60 nm (12.01 psi) and 230 nm-77 nm (10.07 psi) for the PLLA/20 PEG 4600. Ultra-thin MTAMs were significantly stronger than normal thickness MTAM with a maximum tensile strength of 5.48±0.32 MPa and a Young’s modulus of 869.60±55.16 MPa. UV spectrophotometer analysis with comparison data obtained from Sigma of the filtrate particle size of PLLA/20 PEG 4600; 8000 & 20000 were <5 nm, 30 nm and 60 nm (ultra-thin MTAM); and no particles detected, 40 nm and 80 nm (normal thickness MTAM). Combined filtration of PLLA/20 PEG 4600 & 8000 produced particles size of 30 nm. The results indicated that potentially, normal thickness PLLA/20 MTAMs can be used in gold nano-filtration applications for drug conjugate use.