abstract |
The present invention provides a surface modified membrane and a method for producing the same, which generally comprises: (a) placing a polymer membrane (14) in holder (18) down stream from a RF plasma generator (22, 50) in a plasma reactor (10), with an inlet section (12) and an outlet section (26) secured at o-ring joint (24); (b) generating a plasma of a surface modifying compound; and (c) providing a means to allow flow of the plasma through the interstitial surface of the polymer membrane to produce a surface modified polymer membrane, where source gases are supplied to the plasma generator via supply system (30, 40) with inlet line (42), and exhausted via line (28). The downstream exhaust region is monitored by probe (44). In one particular embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing hydrophilic polymer membranes from hydrophobic polymers is provided. |