MEMBRANE, APPARATUS, AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

1 . A membrane formed from a composition, wherein the composition comprises a polyarylene ether polymer or copolymer comprising a zwitterion; or comprises a polyarylene polymer or copolymer comprising a zwitterion.

2 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a surface that is hydrophilic.

3 . The membrane as defined in claim 2 , wherein the membrane has a surface with a contact angle of less than about 65 as measured using sessile drop method.

4 . The membrane as defined in claim 3 , wherein the membrane has a surface with a contact angle of less than about 35 as measured using sessile drop method.

5 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a glass transition temperature that is greater than about 120 degrees Celsius.

6 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a thickness that less than about 1 millimeter.

7 . The membrane as defined in claim 6 , wherein the membrane has a thickness that less than about 10 micrometers.

8 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a porosity of greater than about 10 percent by volume.

9 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a porosity of less than about 50 percent by volume.

10 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a surface that is biocompatible.

11 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane has a surface that is hemocompatible.

12 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the zwitterion is one of a plurality of zwitterions that are present in an amount sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of the composition to less than about 55 degrees water contact angle.

13 . The membrane as defined in claim 12 , wherein the zwitterion is one of a plurality of zwitterions that are present in an amount sufficient to increase the hydrophilicity of the composition to less than about 35 degrees water contact angle.

14 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , the membrane has a surface and the zwitterion is a pendant moiety extending from the surface.

15 . The membrane as defined in claim 14 , wherein the pendant moiety that comprises at least one atom of sulfur, phosphorus, carbon, or nitrogen.

16 . The membrane as defined in claim 15 , wherein the pendant moiety comprises an amino group or an alkaloid group.

17 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the zwitterion comprises at least one atom of sulfur.

18 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the zwitterion comprises at least one atom of phosphorus.

19 . The membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the zwitterion comprises at least one atom of carbon.

20 . A water treatment system, comprising:

the membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the membrane is a filtration membrane that passes a flow of water from an aqueous solution of relatively high solute concentration to a solution of relatively low solute concentration in response to a pressure differential across the membrane.

21 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 20 , wherein the membrane has a salt rejection percentage of greater than 75 percent.

22 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 20 , wherein the membrane is a reverse osmosis membrane comprising a plurality of layers and one of the plurality of layers is a surface layer, and the surface layer comprises a reaction product of a nucleophilic monomer and an electrophilic monomer.

23 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 22 , wherein the reaction product is covalently bonded to the membrane.

24 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 20 , wherein in the membrane blocks a flow of ions therethrough.

25 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 24 , wherein the ions comprise metal.

26 . The water treatment system as defined in claim 24 , wherein the ions comprise boron or arsenic.

27 . A desalination unit comprising the water treatment system as defined in claim 20 .

28 . An ultrafiltration membrane, comprising the membrane as defined in claim 1 having a plurality of pores, and the pores have an average pore size in a range of from about 0.5 nanometers to about 100 nanometers.

29 . The ultrafiltration membrane as defined in claim 28 , wherein the reaction product is covalently bonded to the membrane.

30 . A hemodialysis apparatus comprising the membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the hemodialysis apparatus is capable of separating one blood component from another blood component.

31 . A bioseparation apparatus comprising the membrane as defined in claim 1 , wherein the bioseparation apparatus is capable of separating one biological fluid component from another biological fluid component.

32 . A separation unit comprising a plurality of hollow fiber membranes, wherein at least one of the plurality of membranes comprises a membrane formed from either a poly arylene polymer or copolymer comprising a zwitterionic group, or a poly arylene ether polymer or copolymer comprising a zwitterionic group.