Synthesis of aromatic polyimides with sulfone diamine moieties for a novel membrane oxygenator

The authors have synthesized soluble aromatic polyimides derived from 2,2'-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 3,3'- or 4,4'-diamino-diphenylsulfone (m-DDS or p-DDS) to develop a novel membrane oxygenator. Asymmetric gas exchange membranes for the oxygenator were prepared by a dry/wet phase inversion process. The resulting membrane structure consisted of an ultrathin, selective, and defect free skin layer supported by a porous substructure. The membranes exhibited extremely high gas flux and selectivity. CO2 flux through the polyimide membranes used in this study increased with a decrease in CO2 pressure and was in accordance with the dual mode transport described by a combination of the Henry and Langmuir modes. This indicates that CO2 is selectively removed from the membranes at low CO2 pressure as compared with presently available materials for membrane oxygenators, such as polydimethylsiloxane and polypropylene. The number of platelets adherent to the surface of the polyimide were significantly smaller than those on polydimethylsiloxane and polypropylene, and the deformation and aggregation of platelets on polyimide were not observed. These findings suggest that aromatic polyimides with sulfone diamine moieties are promising membrane materials for an oxygenator.