Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.67, No.5, 833-840, 1998
Size of polymeric particles forming hemodialysis membranes determined from water and solute permeabilities
Regarding hemodialysis membranes as layers packed with uniform polymeric particles, the size of the particles is determined using the Kozeny-Carman equation. Diameter of the spheres forming cellulosic membranes is the same order as the size of primary polymeric particles determined by electron microscopy in a previous article. Pore radii of the membranes calculated by the Kozeny-Carman equation are in agreement with those determined by the tortuous capillary pore model. The result suggests that an estimate of a pore radius of a membrane is feasible by the Kozeny-Carman equation only with water permeability of the membrane. Intramembrane diffusion coefficients of vitamin B-12 calculated from an equation derived from the analogy of heat conduction in heterogeneous media consisting of a continuous phase and particles are larger than the experimental values. The result suggests the failure of the analogy between heat conduction and diffusion of vitamin B-12 in a heterogeneous medium.