Cellulosic ion-exchange membranes for hemodialysis.

The application of cellulosic ion-exchange membranes to hemodialysis was studied in vitro. The membranes were prepared by radiation-grafting methacrylic acid and vinylpyridine to films of DuPont cellophane PD-215 to produce cation-exchange and anion-exchange membranes, respectively. Solutions of urea, creatinine, glucose, and uric acid were studied for their interactions with and diffusion through the membranes. Ultrafiltration rates were also determined. Cuprophane and PD-215 cellophane were studied as controls. Dialysis plots for the membranes revealed a mechanism of "assisted transport." Initially, the solutes were removed from solution by a sorption/adsorption mechanism followed by a steady-state diffusion process. The calculated diffusivities for these later steady-state regions increased linearly with capacity for urea, creatinine, and uric acid, while for glucose the reverse was true. The combined processes involved provided considerably greater mass transport per unit thickness than either DuPont PD-215 cellophane or Cupropane.