Microporous membranes from polyolefin-polyamide blend materials Original Research Article

An alternative method using established polymer processing and membrane formation processes to prepare hydrophilic membranes based on acid modified polyolefins is introduced. This process includes blend formation by reactive extrusion of functionalized polyolefins (polypropylene; PP) and a hydrophilic polyamide (PA). In a first step the pore formation is realized by extracting non-covalently bound polyamide. The resulting membranes are tested by pure water as well as protein filtration. The properties are discussed in terms of permeate flux, retention capability and fouling behavior.