RADIATION-INDUCED GRAFTING OF PHENYLALANINE-CONTAINING MONOMER ONTO APOROUS MEMBRANE

L-Phenylalanine (Phe) was introduced into a porous polyethylene membra ne of a hollow-fiber form as a trunk polymer via two schemes using the preirradiation technique of radiation-induced graft polymerization: ( 1) an epoxy-group-containing vinyl monomer, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA ), was grafted onto the membrane before Phe was coupled to the epoxy g roup, and (2) Phe was initially bound to GMA, and the resultant monome r was grafted onto the membrane. For both resultant membranes, add-on of Phe ligand on the GMA-Phe fiber up to 1.2 mmole per g of the trunk polymer was appended while maintaining 70% of the liquid flux of the o riginal membrane.