Polyacrylonitrile-reinforced poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes: mechanical and dialysis performance

Membranes used for hemodialysis should have good mechanical strength to withstand the maximum transmembrane pressure. Although crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) membrane has superior permeability to solutes, its wet breaking strength is low. Mechanical strength, dry and wet, of membranes made from crosslinked blendmers of poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyacrylonitrile was investigated. The possibilities of these membranes for the application as dialysis membranes were evaluated by estimating its solute permeabilities. The optimum membrane selected shows permeability and mechanical properties comparable with the commercial regenerated cellulose membrane. Polyelectrolyte grafting made the membrane more blood-compatible.