Advanced composite membranes with defect-free mixed matrix dense layer for ECMO oxygenator

Commercial poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP) membranes for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are fabricated via the thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) method, which requires high-temperature conditions and involves complicated processes. Moreover, the gas exchange capacity of current PMP membranes remains relatively low. Herein, mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) incorporating zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) nanoparticles (PMP/ZIF-8 MMMs) were developed to enhance the gas permeability in ECMO oxygenators. The MMMs exhibited good hemocompatibility with significantly enhanced gas permeability (P O2 =165 Barrer, P CO2 =450 Barrer) compared to pure PMP membrane (P O2 =32 Barrer, P CO2 =98 Barrer). And defect-free PAN/MMMs composite membranes with high ZIF-8 loading (40 wt%) were successfully constructed for ECMO oxygenators. They exhibited higher gas exchange capacity while maintaining stable CO 2 /O 2 selectivity. ECMO-simulated circulation tests showed that the PAN/MMMs had high blood oxygenation efficiency and ZIF-8 was stable in blood. This work demonstrates that the composite membranes possess great application potential in the future.