Chemical Compatibility of Materials Used in Millipore^® Filtration Products

To ensure you always have the most accurate information for using Millipore^® products, we have compiled several published solubility and compatibility tables to provide a comprehensive compatibility guide for Millipore^® membranes, filtration devices, ultrafiltration products, centrifugal filters, and MultiScreen^® filter plates. All information presented below is based entirely upon published polymer and metal compatibility tables, not from usage experiments conducted by our scientists.

While our complete compatibility table features recommendations for over 85 solvents, solutions, and gases, we have highlighted the most common materials used with our filtration products in the corresponding sections below.

Materials used to fabricate Millipore^® membranes and filtration devices

Millipore^® ultrafiltration products and centrifugal filters

MultiScreen^®_HTS and MultiScreen^® Classic filter plates

MultiScreen^®_HTS Vacuum Manifolds

Can't find the solvent, solution, or gas you are looking for? Download our complete chemical compatibility guide to see our complete recommendations for Millipore^® filtration products.

Compatibility of materials used to fabricate Millipore^® membranes and filtration devices

Compatibility ratings^†:

R = Recommended
GR = Generally Recommended
LTD = Limited Recommendation
NR = Not Recommended
GNR = Generally not recommended
TST=Testing recommended
ND = No data presently available

Housing Materials

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	Benzyl Alcohol	DMSO	DMF	Ethanol	Ethyl Acetate	Formic Acid 50%*
HDPE	R	R	NR	R	R	R	R	R
PP	R	R	TST	R	R	R	TST	R
PS	NR	NR	ND	R	NR	TST	NR	NR
PVC	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	R	NR	TST
MMA	GNR	ND	ND	NR	ND	TST	NR	TST
ABS	TST	ND	ND	NR	NR	GR	GNR	ND
SAN	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	GR	ND	ND
PC	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	TST	NR	R
PET	R	ND	NR	ND	NR	R	ND	NR
EASTAR®	NR	ND	NR	ND	ND	R	NR	ND

Glycerine	Hexane	HCl 1N*	Methanol	Sodium Carbonate*	SDS	THF	Tween® 20*	Xylene
R	LTD	R	R	TST	TST	R	TST	LTD
R	NR	GR	R	R	ND	NR	ND	NR
R	NR	R	NR	ND	ND	NR	ND	NR
R	NR	GR	TST	R	ND	NR	ND	NR
ND	GR	GR	TST	GR	ND	NR	ND	NR
ND	GNR	GR	GR	ND	ND	NR	ND	GNR
ND	GR	ND	GR	ND	ND	ND	ND	GNR
R	NR	GR	TST	R	TST	NR	TST	NR
R	R	GR	ND	TST	ND	R	ND	NR
ND	R	ND	R	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND

Filter Materials

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	Benzyl Alcohol	DMSO	DMF	Ethanol	Ethyl Acetate	Formic Acid 50%*
PP	R	NR	R	R	R	R	TST	R
PVC	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	R	NR	TST
PC	GNR	NR	TST	NR	NR	R	TST	R
PTFE	R	R	R	R	GR	R	TST	R
PVDF	NR	LTD	R	NR	NR	R	R	R
MCE	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	ND
PES	GNR	NR	ND	NR	ND	GR	GNR	ND
Nylon	R	R	TST	R	R	TST	R	NR

Glycerine	Hexane	HCl 1N*	Methanol	Sodium Carbonate*	SDS	THF	Tween® 20*	Xylene
R	NR	GR	R	R	ND	NR	ND	NR
R	NR	GR	TST	R	ND	NR	ND	NR
R	R	R	R	R	TST	TST	TST	NR
R	R	R	R	R	ND	GR	R	R
R	R	R	R	R	ND	NR	TST	R
R	GR	GR	NR	R	R	NR	R	GR
GR	GR	GR	GR	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND
R	R	GR	TST	TST	ND	R	TST	R

O-Ring Materials

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	Benzyl Alcohol	DMSO	DMF	Ethanol	Ethyl Acetate	Formic Acid 50%*
EPR	R	R	R	NR	NR	R	NR	R
Buna-N	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	TST	NR	NR
Fluoroelastomer	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	R	NR	ND
Silicone	R	NR	R	NR	R	TST	NR	GR

Glycerine	Hexane	HCl 1N*	Methanol	Sodium Carbonate*	SDS	THF	Tween® 20*	Xylene
R	NR	NR	R	R	TST	NR	TST	NR
R	R	NR	R	R	GR	NR	R	NR
R	R	GR	TST	R	R	NR	R	R
R	NR	GR	R	R	R	NR	NR	NR

Filter Holder Materials

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	Benzyl Alcohol	DMSO	DMF	Ethanol	Ethyl Acetate	Formic Acid 50%*
316SS	R	R	R	NR	R	R	R	R

Glycerine	Hexane	HCl 1N*	Methanol	Sodium Carbonate*	SDS	THF	Tween® 20*	Xylene
R	R	R	R	R	LTD	NR	R	R

HDPE = High-density polyethylene; PP= Polypropylene; PS = Polystyrene; PVC = Polyvinyl chloride; MMA = Modified acrylic copolymer; ABS = Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer; SAN = Styrene-acrylonitrile polymer; PC = Polycarbonate; PET = Polyethylene terephthalate; PTFE = Polytetrafluoroethylene; PVDF = Polyvinylidene fluoride; MCE = Mixed cellulose esters; PES = Polyether sulfone; EPR = Ethylene-propylene rubber; Fluoroelastomer = Vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer; 316SS = Stainless steel

*Aqueous solution

†See compatibility recommendation criteria, general considerations, and references below for additional information

Compatibility of Millipore^® ultrafiltration products and centrifugal filters

Compatibility ratings^†:

R = Recommended
NR = Not Recommended
TST=Testing recommended
ND = No data presently available

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	Benzyl Alcohol (1%)*	DMF	DMSO	Ethanol	Glycerine	HCl 1N*
Microcon® Filter	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	TST	R	R
Centriprep® Filter	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	NR	R	R
Centricon® Plus-70 Filter	R	R	R	TST	TST	TST	R	R
Amicon® Ultra Filter	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	ND	R	R
Ultrafree® MC/CL with PVDF Membrane	NR	R	R	NR	NR	TST	R	R
Ultrafiltration Disc (Ultracel® Membrane)	R	R	R	TST	TST	TST	R	NR
Ultrafiltration Disc (Biomax® Membrane)	NR	R	R	NR	NR	TST	R	R
Stirred Cells	NR	R	R	NR	NR	TST	R	R

PVDF = Polyvinylidene fluoride
*Aqueous solution
†See compatibility recommendation criteria, general considerations, and references below for additional information

Methanol	Sodium Carbonate (20%)*	SDS (3%)*	THF	Tween® 20 (0.1%)*
NR	R	R	NR	R
NR	R	R	NR	R
TST	R	R	TST	R
ND	R	ND	ND	R
NR	R	R	NR	R
TST	R	R	TST	R
TST	R	R	NR	R
TST	R	R	NR	R

Compatibility of MultiScreen^®_HTS and MultiScreen^® Classic filter plates

Compatibility ratings^†:

R = Recommended
NR = Not Recommended
L = Limited Recommendation

	Acetone	Acetonitrile‡	Benzyl Alcohol (1%)*	DMF	DMSO‡	Ethanol (≥50%)*	Hexane	HCl 1N*
Polyolefin copolymer/PTFE	R	R	R	R	R	R	NR	R
Acrylic or Classic Styrene/ Durapore	NR	NR	R	NR	L (70%)	R	R	R
Acrylic or Styrene/ MCE	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	NR	R	L to NR
Barex®/TiO2/Durapore®, MCE, DEAE	NR	NR	R	NR	NR	R/NR	R	R/L to NR
Acrylic or Barex®/TiO2/Styrene, Immobilon®-P	NR	L (<35%)	R	NR	L (<10%)	R‡	R	R to L

‡No filtrate collection
*Aqueous solution
†See compatibility recommendation criteria, general considerations, and references below for additional information

Methanol	THF	Tween® 20(<5%)*	Xylene
R	R	R	R
R to L	NR	R	NR
NR	NR	R	NR
R/NR	L/NR	R	R
R	NR/L	R	R

Compatibility of MultiScreen^®_HTS Vacuum Manifold Components

Compatibility ratings^†:

E = Excellent Performance
G = Good Performance
R = Rinse after contact
NR = Not Recommended

	Acetone	Acetonitrile	DMF	DMSO	Ethyl Acetate	Ethanol	Formic Acid	Hexane	Conc. HCl
Manifold Base/Collar Gasket Frame	R	E	E	E	E	E	E	NR	E
Gaskets/Tubing	G	G	G	G	G	G	G	NR	R
Standard Collar	G	E	R	E	E	G	NR	R	NR
Support Grid	E	E	E	E	E	E	G	E	R
Tubing Fitting	G	G	G	G	G	E	G	G	R
Droplet Trap Array	E	E	E	E	E	E	R	E	R

†See compatibility recommendation criteria, general considerations, and references below for additional information

Methanol	THF
E	R
E	NR
R	E
E	E
E	NR
E	E

Compatibility recommendation criteria

Materials used in Millipore^® membranes and filtration devices, and Millipore^® ultrafiltration products and centrifugal filters

• R = Recommended. Chosen for polymer-solvent combinations showing top ratings in published compatibility tables
• GR = Generally Recommended. Where no polymer-solvent specific information was available, general compatibility with a solvent type was stated; e.g., PES is compatible with alcohols
• LTD = Limited Recommendation. Chosen for those polymer-solvent combinations that showed both top and less-than-top ratings in published compatibility tables where exposure times of less than 24 hours at room temperature are recommended. Component materials may stress crack or swell, ultimately affecting filtration efficiency.
• NR = Not Recommended. Chosen for those polymer-solvent combinations that showed less-than-top ratings in the published compatibility tables
• GNR = Generally not recommended. Chosen when we do not recommend the combination. Users may test prior to use to confirm, if needed
• TST=Testing recommended. Chosen for combinations in which the polymer and solvent/solution may be compatible, depending on the conditions in which the filter or filtration device is used. We recommend that the user test for compatibility prior to use
• ND = No data presently available. No data is currently available in the literature regarding polymer-solvent compatibility. Customers should use caution with these polymer-solvent combinations and test prior to use.

Materials used in MultiScreen^® Filter Plates

• R= Recommended. Chosen when there are no known restrictions
• NR= Not Recommended. Chosen when the membrane or plate is severely attacked by the chemical or solution.
• L = Limited Recommendation. Chosen when the chemical resistance is marginal. Short-time exposures should be tested individually for each application

Materials used in MultiScreen^®_HTS Vacuum Manifolds

• E = Excellent Performance. Chosen when there are no known restrictions with polymer-solvent or metal-solvent interactions.
• G = Good Performance. Chosen when no specific information was available, but general recommendations could be made based on properties of the component composition.
• R = Rinse after contact. Chosen when the component is compatible during short-term use with a given solvent or solution, but severe damage (to the component) will occur if the chemical remains on the surface over extended periods of time.
• NR = Not Recommended. Chosen when the component is severely attacked by the chemical or solution.

General considerations when determining Millipore^® product compatibility

As mentioned previously, all information presented is based upon polymer- or metal-solvent compatibility tables, not from any usage experiments. Please also consider the following when using our compiled compatibility charts.

1. These recommendations assume pure solutions at room temperature and pressure without applied stresses. Time of exposure is not considered. These are critical assumptions as polymer properties are strongly affected by environmental conditions, time, the presence of external stress and the presence of additives. It is not safe to assume that property changes are linearly related to changing temperature. A 10 °C increase in temperature, for example, may place the test conditions closer to the glass transition of the polymer, thus allowing greater penetration of solvent molecules. This has a plasticizing effect, further lowering the glass transition and resulting in a modulus drop of up to three orders of magnitude. The glass transition of nylons, for example, has been shown to range from below -50 °C to +70 °C depending upon their moisture content.
2. These recommendations assume that each polymer category has a uniform chemistry, molecular weight distribution and thermomechanical history. This assumption will never be true, and, in some cases, variation has a distinct influence on compatibility. For example, solvent compatibility of cellulose esters is strongly dependent upon their degree of substitution (acetylation/nitration). Crystalline morphology and degree of crystallinity influences compatibility of semi-crystalline polymers and can vary significantly. Polyethyleneterephthalate, for example, can be quenched to obtained samples with almost no crystallinity or annealed to obtain samples with >50% crystallinity. The response time of these two polyesters, although chemically identical, will be quite different. The effect of molecular weight distribution and degree of branching on solvent compatibility can be seen by comparing the solvent compatibility of LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE and UPE. Such specific information concerning polymers evaluated does not accompany published compatibility tables.
3. The definition of solvent compatibility for Millipore products differs from that used in determining the ratings given in published compatibility tables. Such tables are generally concerned with chemical attack and significant losses in strength and/or dimensional changes. A top designation, for example, might be designated for solvent-polymer combinations with <10% swelling, which is high. Other compatibility tables may make recommendations based upon dimensional change as a function of time. This is difficult to relate to a membrane that may respond almost immediately to immersion in solvent. In addition, solvent-membrane compatibility requires additional consideration of filtration-specific factors. None of these published compatibility guides, for example, monitors the solvent’s ability to wet a membrane or increase extractables.
4. This table does not consider solvent safety issues.

References used to develop Millipore^® Filter Component Compatibility Charts

1. J. BRANDRUP and E. H. IMMERGUT . 1989. Polymer Handbook, ed III., Section VII lists solvents and nonsolvents for a variety of polymers A WILEY-INTERSCIENCE PUBLICATION p. 379-402 .

2. K.J. Saunders. 1988.. Organic Polymer Chemistry, 2nd edition,. Chapman and Hall London/New York ISBN 0‐412‐27570‐8

3. Mark, H F, Bikales, N, Overberger, C G, Menges, G. 1987. Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, Vol. 11: Photographic applications to polyesters, elastomeric United States.

4. Kenneth M.Pruett. 1988. Chemical resistance guide for elastomers II : a guide to chemical resistance of rubber and elastomeric compounds. Compass Publications..

5. Kenneth M.Pruett. 1983. Compass corrosion guide II : a guide to chemical resistance of metals and engineering plastics. Compass Publications. La Mesa, Calif. USA.

6. (Compatibility of vinylidiene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer). http://www.pspglobal.com/nfvitongrades.html

7. Elastomer Seal Selection URL:. http://www.pspglobal.com/nfmaterials.html

8. HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT OFFICE URL:. https://hseo.hkust.edu.hk/

9. Chemical Resistance Guide URL:. https://www.customadvanced.com/chemical-resistance-chart.html

10. Chapiro A, Mankowski Z, Schmitt N. 1982. Unusual swelling behavior of films of polyvinyl- and polyvinylidene/fluorides in various solvents. J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Chem. Ed.. 20(7):1791-1796. https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.1982.170200712

11. Bottino A, Capannelli G, Munari S, Turturro A. 1988. Solubility parameters of poly(vinylidene fluoride). J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys.. 26(4):785-794. https://doi.org/10.1002/polb.1988.090260405

12. Allan F.M. Barton. 1990. CRC Handbook of Polymer-Liquid Interaction Parameters and Solubility Parameters, CRC Press.