Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
109 words
A carbon based porous hollow fiber membrane excellent in heat resistance, having an internal diameter of 20 μm to 1,000 μm with a wall thickness of 2 μm to 250 μm, pores which continuously penetrate from inner wall surface to outer wall surface of the membrane, a pore size distribution such that the distribution curve of pore radius has a maximum value of 10-1000 nm, a total pore volume of 0.1-1 cm 3 /g, and a curvature radius at flexing of 10 cm or less, and wherein the temperature at which 10% by weight of the membrane is decomposed as measured by TGA is at least about 300° C.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
109 words
A carbon based porous hollow fiber membrane excellent in heat resistance, having an internal diameter of 20 μm to 1,000 μm with a wall thickness of 2 μm to 250 μm, pores which continuously penetrate from inner wall surface to outer wall surface of the membrane, a pore size distribution such that the distribution curve of pore radius has a maximum value of 10-1000 nm, a total pore volume of 0.1-1 cm 3 /g, and a curvature radius at flexing of 10 cm or less, and wherein the temperature at which 10% by weight of the membrane is decomposed as measured by TGA is at least about 300° C.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
A hollow fiber membrane according to claim 1, which has a tensile elongation of at least 0.8%.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
173 words
A method for producing a carbon based porous hollow fiber membrane excellent in heat resistance, having pores which continuously penetrate from inner wall surface to outer wall surface of the membrane, a pore size distribution such that the distribution curve of pore radius has a maximum value of 10-1000 nm, a total pore volume of 0.1-1 cm 3 g, and a curvature radius at flexing of 10 cm or less, and wherein the temperature at which 10% by weight of the membrane is decomposed as measured by TGA is at least about 300° C., which comprises mixing an acrylonitrile based polymer (A) containing 90-100 mol% of acrylonitrile units, a heat decomposable polymer (B) which is heat decomposed at a temperature of 600° C. or lower to become low in molecular weight, and a solvent (C), then spinning and drawing the mixture to obtain an acrylonitrile based hollow fiber, subjecting this hollow fiber to oxidizing treatment and then subjecting the hollow fiber to carbonizing treatment at 400° C. or higher to make it porous.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
173 words
A method for producing a carbon based porous hollow fiber membrane excellent in heat resistance, having pores which continuously penetrate from inner wall surface to outer wall surface of the membrane, a pore size distribution such that the distribution curve of pore radius has a maximum value of 10-1000 nm, a total pore volume of 0.1-1 cm 3 g, and a curvature radius at flexing of 10 cm or less, and wherein the temperature at which 10% by weight of the membrane is decomposed as measured by TGA is at least about 300° C., which comprises mixing an acrylonitrile based polymer (A) containing 90-100 mol% of acrylonitrile units, a heat decomposable polymer (B) which is heat decomposed at a temperature of 600° C. or lower to become low in molecular weight, and a solvent (C), then spinning and drawing the mixture to obtain an acrylonitrile based hollow fiber, subjecting this hollow fiber to oxidizing treatment and then subjecting the hollow fiber to carbonizing treatment at 400° C. or higher to make it porous.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
A method according to claim 3, wherein a compatibilizer (C) is further mixed with acrylonitrile based polymer (A), heat decomposable polymer (B) and solvent (C).
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) is polyacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile-methacrylic acid copolymer, acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate-itaconic acid copolymer or acrylonitrile-methyl acrylate-methacrylic acid copolymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the heat decomposable polymer (B) is a homopolymer of aromatic vinyl monomer, aliphatic vinyl monomer or methacrylate type monomer or a copolymer comprising 51 mol% or more of the above monomer and 49 mol % or less of copolymerizable monomer unit other than acrylonitrile.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the heat decomposable polymer (B) is styrene based polymer, vinyl chloride based polymer or methyl methacrylate based polymer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein specific viscosity of the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) is 0.1-0.4.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein specific viscosity of the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) is 0.2-0.3.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein specific viscosity of the heat decomposable polymer (B) is 0.1-0.4.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein specific viscosity of the heat decomposable polymer (B) is 0.2-0.3.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein the compatibilizer (D) is a graft copolymer or a block copolymer which contains in the same polymer chain a segment (A) having compatibility with the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) or comprising the same monomer and a segment (B) having compatibility with the heat decomposable polymer (B) or comprising the same monomer.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
41 words
A method according to claim 4, wherein the compatibilizer (D) comprises 30 mol% or more of acrylonitrile, 10 mol% or more of monomer constituting the heat decomposable polymer (B) and 10 mol% or less of other monomer copolymerizable with these monomers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the mixing is carried out so that the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) is in an amount of 10-90% by weight, the heat decomposable polymer (B) is in an amount of 10-90% by weight and the compatibilizer (D) is in an amount of 0-5% by weight.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
54 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the mixing is carried out so that the acrylonitrile based polymer (A) is in an amount of 20-80% by weight, the heat decomposable polymer (B) is in an amount of 20-80% by weight and the compatibilizer (D) is in an amount of 0-5% by weight.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the solvent (C) is selected from dimethylformamide, dimethylcetamide and dimethylsulfoxide.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the spinning is carried out by dry jet-wet type spinning method.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein drawing is carried out under the condition of 3 times or more in total drawing ratio by multi-stage drawing method.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the oxidizing treatment is carried out with controlling the elongation within the range of 15% or less.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
19 words
A method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the carbonizing treatment is carried out with controlling the tension.