AFFINITY ADSORPTION DEVICES PREPARED FROM MICROPOROUS POLY(AMIDE) HOLLOW FIBERS AND SHEET MEMBRANES

Microporous poly(caprolactam) hollow fibers and flat sheet membranes h ave been modified by covalent linkage to produce affinity matrices. Us ing linkages developed in the past for the chromatographic media, it i s shown that a number of biological ligands can be bonded covalently t o these membranes to produce effective affinity-separation devices. We report here, results for immobilized antibodies, r-Pr A, and DEAE-fun ctionalized copolymers produced on the membranes. In addition, we show how metal-chelate chromatography can be adapted to these microporous materials. The physical configurations tested included modules prepare d with multiple layers of flat sheet membrane; with three-layer pleate d sheets; with cross-flow hollow fiber modules; and with dead-end holl ow fiber modules. Each of these geometries offers some unique advantag e, principally in the types of frontal chromatography suitable for var ious applications. The chromatographic results illustrate how high-spe ed separations can be accomplished when ligand-modified membranes are used with gradient-elution separations.