Patent ID: 7833419

Claim:
A method of filtering a corrosive fluid comprising passing the corrosive fluid through a microporous PTFE membrane comprising a first surface and a second surface and a thickness and bulk defined by the first and second surfaces, the microporous PTFE membrane modified by subjecting the microporous PTFE membrane to non-coherent broadband UV irradiation while pores of the membrane are impregnated with a liquid, the membrane having a critical wetting surface tension (CWST) of at least 26 dynes/cm (0.26 erg/mm 2 ) through the thickness and bulk of the microporous PTFE membrane, a wetting/dewetting ratio of at least about 0.7 for 2 or more cycles, and wherein the first and second surfaces each have a fluorine/carbon (F/C) ratio of about 1.5 or more and an oxygen/carbon (O/C) ratio in the range of from about 0.01 to about 0.15, and obtaining filtered corrosive fluid passing through the membrane.