(214a) Novel Charged Ultrafiltration Membranes for Protein Separations

Ultrafiltration membranes have traditionally been made from neutral polymers like cellulose. Recent studies have demonstrated that charged membranes can provide enhanced performance due to the strong electrostatic exclusion of like charged proteins. This talk will examine the development of a series of novel charged ultrafiltration membranes with different spacer arms and charged ligands specifically designed for the purification of high-value proteins. Data will be presented for both protein retention and hydraulic permeability for membranes generated using a series of charged ligands with different physical and chemical properties. The performance characteristics of the different membranes are analyzed by considering the trade-off between hydraulic permeability and selectivity, including the effects of electrostatic interactions. The results clearly demonstrate that a proper understanding of electrostatic interactions can lead to the development of novel charged membranes with much higher performance characteristics than traditional ultrafiltration membranes.