i3 Membrane is your companion for filtration solutions and separation technologies within the life sciences. Together with and for our clients, we develop high-quality products in our Medical, Lab/Pharma and Biotech business units.
Medical
Sterile filtration for infection prevention
Newborns and patients with weak or suppressed immune systems are particularly susceptible to nosocomial infections. Sterile filtration is well-known to be an important part of an effective prevention strategy. The more compact and efficient the sterile filter, the less it interferes with central working procedures – and the better you can integrate it in your everyday clinical work.
Our solutions show that high-tech can be small, compact and high performing. For use in clinics and medical facilities, we have developed a compact and high-performing, terminal sterile filter. It creates a reliable barrier against waterborne microbes and, in this way, protects your most vulnerable patients against harmful infections.
Lab/Pharma
Particle analysis
Contamination of solid materials, as well as of liquid and gaseous media, is forcing laboratory professionals to face ever more difficult challenges. A basic requirement in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and chemical agents, for example, is that the product be free of nanoparticles and microstructures. This makes constant monitoring essential.
i3 Membrane meets the highest standards in particle analysis. Ultra-thin metal finishes made of gold, titanium and other precious metals are applied to high-quality polymer membranes to enable electrical conductivity of the membranes' surfaces. These deliver optimal reflection properties with the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microscope and the Raman spectroscope. They also build a suitable conductive substrate for imaging with a scanning electron microscope (EDX/WDX). This makes the standardized membranes ideal for use in asbestos analysis, particle analysis of solid and liquid materials in the pharmaceuticals, chemical and automotive industries, as well as in microplastics analysis and sample preparation (for HPLC and other methods).
For customized fields of application, we produce specially coated track-etched filters made of various polymer compounds of different pore sizes, diameters and coating thicknesses. To stabilize the membranes in the filtration phase, the gold-coated filters are supplied customized in aluminum rings. Aluminum oxide membranes provide rapid filtration while delivering efficient separation to achieve maximum purity.
Biotech
Digital membrane chromatography
The production of monoclonal antibodies is the most dynamic area in the biopharmaceutical industry. Their use in research and development, in diagnostics and therapeutic treatments has required complex, multi-stage purification processes to date, using separation columns that are costly and limited in their scalability.
Chromatographic membranes have increasingly gained ground as an alternative to separation columns. This is because they achieve higher flow rates and an effective transfer of mass. Biomolecules, which are adsorbed through their positively or negatively charged binding sites, can however only be recovered by means of large changes in pH values or through high salt concentrations in the rinsing fluid.
The ingenious answer: digital membrane chromatography. Thanks to the application of a thin gold layer on both sides of the membrane, and when connected to an electricity source, the chemical binding capacities of the stationary phase can be switched. Both adsorption and desorption occur through simple potential regulation. The process can be repeated as often as is necessary. This makes the massive use of buffer solutions or increases in salt concentration for antibody purification, as well as an increase in the concentration of endotoxins, obsolete. Membrane chromatography goes digital.
Collaborations
When it comes to the development of novel membranes and highly selective separation techniques, we collaborate with various research institutes, such as:
- Technical University of Munich
- Helmholtz-Zentrum in Dresden-Rossendorf
- Leibniz Institute