Evaluation of semipermeable membranes for encapsulating gas sensors in human intestinal environments

This work describes a comparison of biocompatible membranes to encapsulate gas sensors in the human intestinal tract. The goal is to identify semipermeable materials that allow intestinal gases to pass through the membrane while also separating them from other intestinal contents. Important aspects of this study are the membranes’ chemical resistance to gastric acid and their gas permeability. Chemical resistance was assessed by submerging selected membranes in artificial gastric acid. Surface structure of membrane samples before and after the acid treatment was compared using scanning electron microscopy and signs of degradation were documented. To characterize the membranes in terms of their gas permeability, an experimental setup was developed to measure average airflow through the membranes. A constant pressure of 7 kPa was applied across the membrane and flow rate Q of air was measured over a predefined surface area A. This evaluation marks the first step in the development of an ingestible capsule for in-vivo analysis of intestinal gases.