Filter Having a Variable Porosity and Method for Producing the Same

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention relates to a filter whose porosity can be dynamically altered by external stimuli. The filter consists of a porous base material containing a 'switching material' within its pores. When an external control (such as changes in temperature, pH, specific solvents, or radiation) is applied, the structure or expansion of the switching material changes, thereby modulating the size and permeability of the pores. This allows the filter to selectively control which substances can pass through at any given time. The patent also describes a method for mass-producing this filter by introducing the switching material into the pores using a solvent and then evaporating the solvent for even distribution.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Smart filtration systems for industrial chemical processes where selective passage of ingredients is required at different stages.
• Medical devices or diagnostics that require precise separation of biological molecules of various sizes.
• Water or air purification systems that can adaptively respond to changing contamination types or concentrations.
• Biotechnology applications, such as fractionation of cell components or macromolecules.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing, where product streams with diverse molecular sizes can be processed without changing physical filters.
• Responsive membranes in controlled drug delivery systems, permitting or blocking substance flow on demand.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Eliminates the need to replace filters when a different pore size is required, saving time and resources.
• Provides real-time, precise control of filtration selectivity via external stimuli such as temperature, pH, solvents, or light.
• Can quantitatively or qualitatively adjust permeability, allowing for both finer and coarser filtering as needed.
• Facilitates fractionation of complex mixtures using a single filter, which traditionally would require multiple filters.
• Production method enables efficient, scalable manufacturing by simultaneously functionalizing a large number of pores.
• Allows for selective opening/closing of individual or classes of pores, enabling highly targeted separation processes.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a filter having a variable porosity. Said filter comprises a porous base material having a plurality of continuous pores. According to the invention, a switching material is arranged in each of the pores, which switching material is able to change the spatial structure and/or expansion thereof upon an external control intervention, thus converting the control intervention to a change in the permeability of the pore. It has been identified that the permeability of the filter for certain materials can be altered quantitatively by way of the external control intervention. On the other hand, the permeability of the filter can also be altered qualitatively in the sense that a material, which previously could penetrate the filter, is no longer able to do so after the external control intervention. Conversely, by means of one and the same filter according to the invention, the permeability thereof is increased step by step from smaller to bigger materials, a mix of many variably sized components can be fractionated into the constituents thereof. In the scope of the invention, a method for producing the filter according to the invention was also developed. According to the invention, in this method, the switching material is introduced into the pores of the porous base material in a solvent, and subsequently, the solvent is vaporized. It has been identified that in this way, the switching material can also be introduced into a large number of pores simultaneously in a self-organized manner.