Article Containing Nanofiber Membrane for Bacterial Filtration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016136558-A1
Application number	US-201615001371-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Jul 21, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sterilizing grade filter including at least two non-sterile nanofiber membranes positioned in a stacked configuration is provided. The nanofiber membranes have a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi, a thickness less than about 300 microns, and a mass/area less than about 20 g/m 2 . The non-sterile nanofiber membranes are separated from each other by a distance d, which may be less than about 100 microns. The membranes may be adhered together produce a composite stacked filtration material. Methods of producing a sterilizing grade filter are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A stacked bacterial filter material comprising:
a first non-sterile nanofiber membrane having a first major surface and a second major surface; and a second non-sterile nanofiber membrane positioned on one of said first major surface and second major surface a first distance from said first fluoropolymer membrane, wherein said distance is less than 100 microns, wherein said first and second membranes each have a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi, wherein said first and second membranes each have a thickness less than about 300 microns, and wherein said stacked bacterial filtration material passes the Bacterial Retention Requirements for a Sterilizing Grade Filter.

2 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes is a fluoropolymer nanofiber membrane.

3 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes comprises a polymer selected from polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethanes, polybenzimidazole (PBI), polycarbonate (PC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (PEVA), poly(methacrylate) (PMA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyaniline (PAN), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), cellulose acetate, collagen, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyether imide (PEI), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and combinations thereof.

4 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , wherein said first and second nanofiber membranes each have a mass/area from about 0.1 g/m 2 to about 20 g/m 2 .

5 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , wherein said first and second nanofiber membranes form a composite stacked filtration material.

6 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 5 , wherein composite stacked filtration material has a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi.

7 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , further comprising a third non-sterile nanofiber membrane having a first major surface and a second major surface,
wherein said first non-sterile nanofiber membrane, said second non-sterile nanofiber membrane, and said third non-sterile nanofiber membrane are positioned a distance from each other, said distance being less than 100 microns.

8 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 1 , wherein said first and second nanofiber membranes each have a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi.

9 . A bacterial filtration material comprising:
a stacked filter material comprising:
a first non-sterile nanofiber membrane having a first major surface and a second major surface; and
a second non-sterile nanofiber membrane positioned on said first major surface a distance from said first major surface, and
a first fibrous layer positioned on said stacked filter material, wherein said distance is less than 100 microns, wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes each have a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi, wherein said first and second nanofiber membranes each have a thickness less than about 300 microns, and wherein said stacked bacterial filtration material passes the Bacterial Retention Requirements for a Sterilizing Grade Filter.

10 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes is a fluoropolymer nanofiber membrane.

11 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes comprises a polymer selected from polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethanes, polybenzimidazole (PBI), polycarbonate (PC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (PEVA), poly(methacrylate) (PMA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyaniline (PAN), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), cellulose acetate, collagen, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyether imide (PEI), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and combinations thereof.

12 . The bacterial filtration material of claim 9 , further comprising a second fibrous layer positioned on said stacked filter material on a side opposing said first fibrous layer.

13 . The bacterial filtration material of claim 9 , wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes each have a thickness less than about 25 microns.

14 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes each have a mass/area from about 0.1 g/m 2 to about 20 g/m 2 .

15 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein said distance is substantially zero microns.

16 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes are adhered to each other.

17 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 9 , wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes form a composite stacked filtration material.

18 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 17 , wherein said composite stacked filtration material has a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi.

19 . A stacked bacterial filter material comprising:
a stacked filtration material comprising a first non-sterile nanofiber membrane and a second non-sterile nanofiber membrane, said stacked filtration material having a first major surface and a second major surface, wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes are positioned a distance less than 100 microns from each other, wherein said stacked filtration material has a bubble point from about 10 psi to about 50 psi, and wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofiber membranes each have a thickness less than about 300 microns, and wherein said stacked bacterial filtration material passes the Bacterial Retention Requirements for a Sterilizing Grade Filter.

20 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 19 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes is a fluoropolymer nanofiber membrane.

21 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 19 , wherein at least one of said first and second nanofiber membranes comprises a polymer selected from polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), nylon, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyurethanes, polybenzimidazole (PBI), polycarbonate (PC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene-co-vinyl acetate (PEVA), poly(methacrylate) (PMA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyaniline (PAN), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), polyvinylchloride (PVC), cellulose acetate, collagen, polycaprolactone (PCL), polyether imide (PEI), poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and combinations thereof.

22 . The stacked bacterial filter material of claim 19 , wherein said first and second non-sterile nanofibe

Assignees

• Gore & Ass

Inventors

• Zheng Lei
• Wikol Michael J
• Strid Jason J
• Myrick Lauren

Classifications

• B01D2323/02

  Hydrophilization · CPC title

• B01D2325/48

  Antimicrobial properties · CPC title

• B32B2307/718

  Weight, e.g. weight per square meter · CPC title

• B32B2262/0246

  Acrylic resin fibres · CPC title

• B32B2262/0253

  Polyolefin fibres · CPC title