Inventors:
Alex Garfield Bonner - Lexington MA, US
Lawrence Udell - Needham MA, US
David Wells Andrews - Amesbury MA, US
Gaston De Los Reyes - Somerville MA, US
International Classification:
B32B 3/00, B29C 44/12, B05B 3/00, D21F 11/00
US Classification:
4283142, 264 28, 264 453, 162141, 162146
Abstract:
A functional, porous, interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) includes a first polymer network in the form of a porogenic support fabric (PSF) composed of linear polymers in the form of a pre-formed network comprising a fibrous composite and a second polymer network synthesized, gelated, and/or cross-linked in the presence of the first polymer network to form a system of polymers which have their respective chains held in place by means of permanent physical entanglements produced by the interweaving of the component polymer networks. The IPN is modified by dissolving and dispersing a portion of the PSF fibers, the dispersible fiber network (DFN) to form a pre-designed interconnected pore structure. The resultant porous, supported, second polymer network has convective flow, diffusive flow, and high capacity, and may include functional capture chemistries to provide an adsorptive media for chromatography and filtration of various compounds including biomolecules.