Potential use of nuclear track membranes in ophthalmology

Potential use of a nuclear track-etched membrane as a semipermeable membrane for fluid transport and maintenance of the cornea in a slightly dehydrated state for its transparency has been studied. The track membrane TOMTREK based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with a pore diameter of 0.4 μm and a density of 5 × 10⁶ pore/cm² has been used in the experiments. The pores have been formed by bombarding the polymer PET with 41.5-MeV ⁴⁰Ar⁸⁺ ions. After bombardment, the membrane was subjected to chemical treatment in an alkali solution. Contact angle θ on the track membrane surface has been measured using the sessile drop method. Disks of a 10 mm diameter have been cut from plasma-treated membrane samples. An appropriate shape has been imparted to the model by incising and sealing the disk edges.