Design of Polyether Sulfone Flat-sheet Membranes for Multi-Layered Hemodiafiltration Devices

This paper discusses the mechanical property and the dialysis performance of flat-sheet membranes of semi-permeable polyether sulfone (PES) membranes for multi-layered hemodiafiltration devices, which our group has been studying as the artificial kidney. The PES membrane is composed of a nano-porous skin layer and a micro-porous support layer. It is formed by a liquid inversion method and the thickness can be determined by the spin-coating process of the PES casting solution. In the application to hemodiafiltration, the flat-sheet membranes need to survive the pressure by the blood that is introduced into the device. Thickness of the membranes was experimentally investigated with respect to the mechanical property and the diffusion performance. It was found that the mechanical strength increased with the thickness while the diffusion performance deteriorated, which determined the appropriate thickness of the PES membranes.