Performance enhancing additives for fiber formation and polysulfone fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9617421-B2
Application number	US-201213981092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2012
Priority date	Feb 4, 2011
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of additives in processes to form polymeric fibers. These fibers can be formed into membranes with improved middle and/or higher molecular weight solute removal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a dialysis membrane comprising a plurality of polyarylether polymer fibers, wherein the polyarylether fibers are produced by a method comprising the steps of:
providing a spin mass comprising at least one polyarylether polymer and at least one organic solvent;
providing a bore fluid comprising at least one aqueous solvent and/or at least one organic solvent;
combining the spin mass and bore fluid to form the polyarylether polymer fibers;
and forming a dialysis membrane from a plurality of said polyarylether polymer fibers;
wherein the spin mass or the bore fluid or both comprises at least one additive;
wherein the spin mass comprises one medium molecular weight PVP having a K value of from K41 to K54 in an amount of from 0.1 wt % to 8 wt % and 0 wt % low molecular weight (MW) PVP and 0 wt % high molecular weight PVP by weight of the spin mass;
wherein the bore fluid comprises 0 wt % low MW PVP by weight of the bore fluid and 0 wt % high MW PVP; and
wherein the low MW PVP has a weight average molecular weight of less than about 100 kDa.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one polyelectrolyte, glycerine, surfactant, vinylpyrrolidone/vinylacetate copolymer, vinylcaprolactam/vinylpyrrolidone/dimethylamino-propylmethacrylamide terpolymer, polyethylene glycol polyester copolymer, or poly(ethyleneimine)-PEI, or any combination thereof, in the spin mass, or the at least one additive comprises at least one polyelectrolyte, glycerine, surfactant, vinylpyrrolidone/vinylacetate copolymer, vinylcaprolactam/vinylpyrrolidone/dimethylamino-propylmethacrylamide terpolymer, polyethylene glycol polyester copolymer, or poly(ethyleneimine)-PEI, or any combination thereof, in the bore fluid.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one polyelectrolyte in the bore fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bore fluid comprises less than 25 wt % medium MW PVP by weight of the bore fluid; and
wherein the medium MW PVP has a weight average molecular weight of from about 100 kDa to 900 kDa.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one medium MW PVP.

6. A dialysis membrane produced by the method of claim 1 .

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said at least one additive is present in a sufficient amount so as to achieve at least one of following properties as compared to the same polyarylether polymer fiber made in the same process, but without said additive being present:
a) sharpen the sieving curve for improved middle molecule removal;
b) remove larger uremic solutes from fluids;
c) improve middle molecule removal without a substantial increase in albumin leakage; and
d) fully or partially replace PVP or a MW class of PVP or a similar minority polymeric component present in a spin mass, and still obtain same or similar properties for the produced polyarylether polymer fiber.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said polyarylether polymer is a polysulfone and said organic solvent in said spin mass is dimethylacetamide.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spin mass comprises 4 wt % or less water in the spin mass.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one additive comprises at least one medium molecular weight PVP, and said medium molecular weight PVP is the only PVP type present in said spin mass, and 4 wt % or less water in the spin mass.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said medium molecular weight PVP comprises a PVP having a K value of from K45 to K53.

12. A polyarylether polymer fiber comprising at least one polyarylether polymer and at least one polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), wherein said at least one PVP consisting of at least one medium weight PVP having a K value of from 45 to 53 and present in an amount of from 0.1 wt % to 8 wt % based on weight of said polyarylether polymer fiber, wherein a membrane formed from a plurality of the polyarylether polymer fibers has an ultrafiltration constant (K UF ) of from about 100 ml/hr*mmHg*m 2 to about 600 ml/hr*mmHg*m 2 , and has an albumin sieving coefficient of from about 0.001% to about 0.5%.

13. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein said medium weight PVP is present in an amount of from about 3 wt % to 8 wt %, based on the weight of the polyarylether polymer fiber.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said spin mass comprises from about 0.001 wt % to 3 wt % water, based on the weight of the spin mass.

15. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has a vitamin B 12 clearance rate, according to DIN 58352, of from about 150 ml/min to about 250 ml/min at Q b /Q d =300/500 ml/min.

16. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has a creatinine clearance rate, according to DIN 58352, of from about 50 ml/min of creatinine to about 290 ml/min of creatinine with Q b /Q d =300/500 ml/min.

17. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has a sodium clearance rate, according to DIN 58352, of from about 30 ml/min of sodium to about 300 ml/min of sodium with Q b /Q d =300/500 ml/min.

18. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has a beta-2-microglobulin clearance rate, according to DIN 58352, of from about 50 ml/min of beta-2-microglobulin to about 250 ml/min of beta-2-microglobulin with Q b /Q d =300/500 ml/min.

19. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has a middle molecule (lysozyme) clearance rate, according to DIN 58352, of from about 50 ml/min of lysozyme to about 250 ml/min of lysozyme with Q b /Q d =300/500 ml/min.

20. The polyarylether polymer fiber of claim 12 , wherein the polyarylether polymer fiber has the following fiber geometry: an outside diameter of from about 100 μm to about 0.5 mm, an interior diameter of from about 100 μm to less than 0.5 mm, a thickness of from about 0.001 μm to about 250 μm, and a length of from about 0.01 m to about 1 m, and has a tensile strength of from about 0.1 to about 10 MPa.

21. A dialysis membrane comprising a plurality of polyarylether polymer fibers, said polyarylether polymer fibers comprising at least one polyarylether polymer and at least one polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), wherein said at least one PVP consisting of at least one medium weight PVP having a K value of from 45 to 53 and present in an amount of from 0.1 wt % to 8 wt % based on weight of said polyarylether polymer fibers, wherein the dialysis membrane has an ultrafiltration constant (K UF ) of from about 100 ml/hr*mmHg*m 2 to about 600 ml/hr*mmHg*m 2 , and has an albumin sieving coefficient of from about 0.001% to about 0.5%.

Assignees

• Ford Cheryl
• Teo Jiunn
• Schmidt Leslie
• Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc

Inventors

• Ford Cheryl
• Teo Jiunn
• Schmidt Leslie

Classifications

• B01D63/02 Primary

  Hollow fibre modules · CPC title

• D01D5/24

  with a hollow structure; Spinnerette packs therefor (D01D5/38 takes precedence; producing tubes of plastic material B29D; addition of agents forming hollow filaments D01F1/08) · CPC title

• B01D69/02

  characterised by their properties · CPC title

• D01F6/66

  from polyethers · CPC title

• C08L81/06 Primary

  Polysulfones; Polyethersulfones · CPC title