Microporous membranes are thin polymeric film, or filament, walled structures made up of millions of microscopic pores. Typically, they have an open morphology pore size ranging from 0.03 μm up to 10 μm in diameter.

Types of Microporous Membranes

There are three types of microporous membranes that are commercially available: flat sheet, hollow fiber, and tubular membrane. 

• Flat sheet membranes are sheets of membrane material that can be sourced as flat pieces or in larger quantities on rolls. Microfiltration flat sheet membranes can also be fabricated into shapes by use of custom and standard die cut patterns.
• Hollow fiber membranes have hollow cores that allow media to permeate through the body of the fiber. Many fibers are packed into bundles and potted into tubes to form a membrane module.
• Tubular membranes allow media to permeate radially through the fiber wall. They are open on both ends to allow unfiltered media to exit the tube and be recycled past the membrane again.

Applications

Microporous membranes have been used for many years and are used in industries and applications such as:

• pharmaceutical
• healthcare
• electronics
• beverage
• chemicals
• environmental
• purification
• clarification
• cold sterilization
• concentration
• venting

Related Information

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Image credit:

3M Separation and Purification Sciences Division