ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the advanced materials used for the fabrication and modification of dialysis membranes in research and commercial scale, including their basic. Hemodialysis (HD) is a commonly adopted clinical therapy for end-stage renal disease patients that consist of a proportioning system for blood and electrolyte solutions, delivery and safety monitoring treatment, and, most importantly, a hemodialyzer. The cylindrical HD membranes are employed in capillary and tubular, or hollow fiber modules. These membranes can be formed by one of the following techniques: thermally-induced phase separation, vapor-induced phase separation, immersion precipitation, and dry phase inversion. Polyethylene glycol and polyethylene oxide based blocks of chemicals when used with hydrophobic base polymers in the dialysis membranes could exhibit steric repulsion and work like molecular cilia. Such modified structures improved the membrane capability to repel cell adhesion, reduce protein adsorption and platelet adhesion, and enhance the blood clotting times in body environment.
