Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>A thin polymeric film, containing a basic polyelectrolyte, was developed with properties that potentially make it highly suitable for use in a membrane blood oxygenator. Its CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> absorption capacity was correlated as a function of the CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> partial pressure, temperature and relative humidity of the processed gas. The correlation showed a linear dependence with CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> partial pressure and relative humidity and an Arrhenius dependence with temperature. A four‐step mechanism for the absorption process was postulated and its parameters were evalutaed. The apparent diffusion constant for CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> was five times that measured for an ion‐exchange resin made from the polyelectrolyte. The capacity and mechanism correlations obtained are suitable for the design of a CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> removal unit for a recirculated air atmosphere as well as for a blood oxygenator. The permeability of the film to CO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> and O<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> was measured and the ratio was found to be far greater than that of most commercial materials. This suggests that a blood oxygenator utilizing such a film would have the controlling resistance to transfer on the oxygen side, rather than on the blood side, thus perhaps avoiding bubbling on the blood side altogether.</jats:p>