The diffusion component is based on the newly-emerging technology of ultra-thin semipermeable membranes.
The clinical use of semipermeable membranes in itself is not a new technology, as these type of membranes are in clinical use on a daily basis. Their most common application is in hemodialysis in which they are configured as an array of very small diameter hollow tubes.
However, large area planar membranes are a different matter, and perhaps the most exciting development as of late is the ability to coat one the sides of the membrane with an extraordinary thin biocompatible polymer.
The ability to apply such a coating is accomplished by a technique known as initiated chemical vapor deposition, or iCVD. Recently developed iCVD reactors have the capability to apply these biocompatible polymers with extreme precision and control, which results in a coating with a uniform thickness that is often on the order of 1 micrometer or less.
The anti-biofouling properties of this new surface greatly enhances the non-adsorption of blood proteins as well as the non-adhesion of cells naturally found within the blood stream, which together results in such composite membranes having a substantially improved clinical performance.