Mitsubishi Rayon Company, Limited

Toshinobu Koshoji

Makoto Uchida

Hisayoshi Yamamori

Kiyonobu Okamura

Kenji Niikawa

Kunio Misoo

Hironari Honda

Osamu Nishimura

A hydrophilic polymer alloy which has a permanent hydrophilic nature, a sufficient mechanical strength and a high safety and which is suitable for the formation of hydrophilic porous membranes manufacturable by an industrially advantageous process can be prepared by blending an amorphous hydrophilic copolymer (X) containing 10 mole % or more of an ethylene unit, 10 to 60 mole % of a vinyl alcohol unit and 1 mole % or more of a vinyl acetate unit with a polyolefin (Y). Furthermore, this polymer alloy is also suitable for the formation of hydrophilic (porous) fibers having a sufficient mechanical strength and antistatic function.

Hydrophilic polymer alloy, fiber and porous membrane comprising this

Disclosed is a porous membrane comprising (1) a hydrophilic copolymer X composed principally of (poly)alkylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate units A and ethylene units B and (2) a polyolefin Y, the (poly)alkylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate units A being of the formula ##STR1## where R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 independently represent hydrogen or methyl, and n has a value in the range of 1 to 9. This porous membrane has permanent hydrophilicy suitable for the treatment of water-based liquids and can be produced by an industrially advantageous process. This process comprises melt-forming a blend of (1) a hydrophilic copolymer X composed principally of (poly)alkylene glycol mono(meth)acrylate units A and ethylene units B and (2) a polyolefin Y; heat-treating the melt-formed product in a vacuum or an inert gas medium at a temperature not higher than the melting point of polyolefin Y for a period of an hour or more; and stretching the heat-treated, melt-formed product to make it porous.

Porous membrane and production process thereof

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Toyohashi, Japan

Toshinobu Koshoji