	US 7,611,629 B2
	UV treated membranes
Abdoulaye Doucoure, Levittown, N.Y. (US); Richard F. Salinaro, Hastings on Hudson, N.Y. (US); and Yoshiki Mizuno, Ibaraki (Japan)
Assigned to Pall Corporation, Port Washington, N.Y. (US)
Appl. No. 10/520,080 PCT Filed Jul. 09, 2003, PCT No. PCT/US03/21438 § 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Jan. 05, 2005, PCT Pub. No. WO2004/007060, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 22, 2004.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/394865, filed on Jul. 11, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2005/0247629 A1, Nov. 10, 2005
Int. Cl. B01D 71/36 (2006.01); B01D 71/30 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 210—500.36 [210/500.22; 210/500.42; 427/581; 525/326.4]

26 Claims

1. A microporous PTFE membrane comprising:

a first surface and a second surface and a thickness and bulk defined by the first and second surfaces, the microporous PTFE membrane modified by subjecting the microporous PTFE membrane to non-coherent broadband UV irradiation while pores of the membrane are impregnated with a liquid, the membrane having a critical wetting surface tension (CWST) of at least about 40 dynes/cm (0.40 erg/mm²) through the thickness and bulk of the microporous PTFE membrane, a wetting/dewetting ratio of at least about 0.7 for 2 or more cycles, and wherein the first and second surfaces each have a fluorine/carbon (F/C) ratio of about 1.5 or more and an oxygen/carbon (O/C) ratio in the range of from about 0.01 to about 0.15.