Polyetherimide (PEI) membrane could be prepared by immersion-precipitation process by using the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)-methylene chloride (MC) cononsolvent as the coagulation medium. The membrane, via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), showed a typically asymmetrical structure consisting of a thin and dense skin layer, sponge morphology in the cross-section and porous bottom surface. Trend expected on the basis of the phase diagram of the use of two solvents serving as a cononsolvent system for the membrane formation, replacing the traditional solvent-nonsolvent pair, was in reasonable agreement with the observed membrane morpholog. Therefore, the principles of membrane formation established for the ternary systems with polymer-solvent-nonsolvent can be applied to a polymer-cononsolvent (solvent-solvent) system. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the PEI membrane top (dense) and bottom (porous) surfaces was assessed in an in vitro model using the human osteoblast-like cell line MG63. Compared to cells grown on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS), cells cultured on the PEI membranes had lower cell growth, but every single cell on the PEI membrane showed similar viability to control cells. SEM analysis showed comparable adhesion and confluence characteristics on all substrates. In addition, the levels of alkaline phosphotase (ALP), prostaglandin E2 (PGE(2)) and transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-beta 1) cytokines produced by MG63 cells on the prepared PEI membranes, regardless of the top or bottom surface, were similar to those on TCPS. The results of this study suggest that the PEI membrane prepared from a cononsolvent system is a non-toxic, biocompatible substrate for the proliferation of human bone cells in vitro. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.