--- title: "Filtration Fundamentals: Membrane Wetting" description: Dr. Aiwen Wu, Sr. Applications Engineer demonstrates the different wettability properties of various polymer membranes. He also explains how applying surface modification technology to purposely change membrane wettability properties enhances liquid filtration performance. image: https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/av-agreggator-wetting-10450-770x200-1.svg --- [![logo-header-desktop](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/logo-header-desktop.svg "logo-header-desktop")](https://blog.entegris.com) - [Science & Innovation](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/science-technology#featured) - [Chemical Suppliers](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/chemical-suppliers#featured) - [Logic Manufacturers](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/logic-manufacturers#featured) - [Memory Manufacturers](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/memory-manufacturers#featured) - [Semiconductor Manufacturers](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/semiconductor-manufacturers#featured) - [News](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/news/media-coverage.html) - [Talent](https://www.entegris.com/careers) - [Resources](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/resources.html) - [Reference Materials](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/resources/reference-materials.html) - [Technical Information](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/resources/technical-information.html) - [About Us](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/corporate-overview.html) - [Entegris.com](https://www.entegris.com/) - [Careers](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/careers.html) - [Corporate Overview](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/corporate-overview.html) - [Events](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/events.html) - [Investor Relations](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/investor-relations.html) - [Legal/Trademark Notices](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/legal-trademark-notices.html) - [Locations](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/locations.html) - [Services Overview](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/our-science/by-service.html) ![hero-654791312-sized](https://blog.entegris.com/hs-fs/hubfs/hero-654791312-sized.jpg?width=3400&name=hero-654791312-sized.jpg "hero-654791312-sized") # Ensights Science that is transforming lives and enabling the future ## Filtration Fundamentals: Membrane Wetting - [Semiconductor Manufacturers (70)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/semiconductor-manufacturers) - [Science & Innovation (58)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/science-innovation) - [Logic Manufacturers (41)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/logic-manufacturers) - [Memory Manufacturers (39)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/memory-manufacturers) - [Chemical Suppliers (23)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/chemical-suppliers) - [Materials Solutions (16)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/materials-solutions) - [Talent (14)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/talent) - [Advanced Packaging (5)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/advanced-packaging) - [Corporate (2)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/corporate) [All](https://blog.entegris.com/) [mailto:solutions@entegris.com](mailto:solutions@entegris.com) [![](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/Blog/Arrow%20Left.png)All Posts](https://blog.entegris.com) # Filtration Fundamentals: Membrane Wetting - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) Wetting the membrane is an important first step in preparing your filter. Wetting the membrane pores eliminates dry pathways where contaminants, like particles, gels, or bubbles could pass through, resulting in high defect levels in your process. Polymer membranes are natively hydrophobic or hydrophilic. - Hydrophobic – having a natural aversion to water - Hydrophilic – having a natural affinity to water If a membrane is hydrophobic, it is difficult to wet with water. This results in a high contact angle, or a very round bead of water sitting on top of the membrane. If a membrane is hydrophilic, it is easily wet with water, and the water will penetrate the pores of the membrane.  This phenomenon directly relates to the surface tension of the liquid and the surface energy of the membrane. In the case of hydrophobic membranes, the surface tension of water is much higher than the surface energy of the membrane.  To overcome this phenomenon, a lower surface tension fluid, like IPA (isopropyl alcohol), can be used to wet the membrane.  Watch as Dr. Aiwen Wu, senior applications engineer, demonstrates the different wettability of various polymer membranes when exposed to DI (deionized) water and IPA. He also explains how the use of surface modification technology can alter wettability to enhance liquid filtration performance in specific applications. [](https://youtu.be/OkFDy3m69-w) Keep an eye out for the next blog where Dr. Wu describes how filter membranes can maintain wettability, even when confronted by outgassing chemistries. **Related: [The Lithographer's Toolkit](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/resources/industry-insights/chasing-the-perfect-pattern/lithographers-toolkit.html)** ![Entegris](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/Logo_transparent.png) ###### Entegris - Recent - Popular - Categories [Revisiting EUV Reticle Pod Particle Generation](https://blog.entegris.com/revisiting-euv-reticle-pod-particle-generation) Sep, 2026 [What Changes When High-Viscosity Materials Become Interface-Defining?](https://blog.entegris.com/what-changes-when-high-viscosity-materials-become-interface-defining) Sep, 2026 [From Lab to Fab: Capturing the Uncatchable in CMP Filtration](https://blog.entegris.com/from-lab-to-fab-capturing-the-uncatchable-in-cmp-filtration) Aug, 2026 [What a Decade of Photochemical Purification Taught Us as EUV Scaled](https://blog.entegris.com/what-a-decade-of-photochemical-purification-taught-us-as-euv-scaled) Aug, 2026 [When Interfaces Carry the Outcome in Advanced Packaging](https://blog.entegris.com/when-interfaces-carry-the-outcome-in-advanced-packaging) Aug, 2026 [Molybdenum’s Role in Ultra-Fast Computing: The Metal Behind the Speed](https://blog.entegris.com/molybdenums-role-in-ultra-fast-computing-the-metal-behind-the-speed) May, 2026 [Effect of POU Filter Pore Size on EUV Bridge Defect Density](https://blog.entegris.com/effect-of-pou-filter-pore-size-on-euv-bridge-defect-density) Apr, 2026 [Hydrogen Halides in Semiconductor Manufacturing: Three Gases, Three Distinct Challenges and Solutions](https://blog.entegris.com/hydrogen-halides-in-semiconductor-manufacturing-three-gases-three-distinct-challenges-and-solutions) Mar, 2026 [Discover EDM-C3® Premium Copper- Impregnated Graphite](https://blog.entegris.com/discover-edm-c3-premium-copper-impregnated-graphite) Feb, 2026 [End-to-End Manufacturing Excellence: Seven Questions Every New (or Growing) Fab Team Should Be Asking](https://blog.entegris.com/end-to-end-manufacturing-excellence-seven-questions-every-new-or-growing-fab-team-should-be-asking) Feb, 2026 [Molybdenum’s Role in Ultra-Fast Computing: The Metal Behind the Speed](https://blog.entegris.com/molybdenums-role-in-ultra-fast-computing-the-metal-behind-the-speed) May, 2026 [Hydrogen Halides in Semiconductor Manufacturing: Three Gases, Three Distinct Challenges and Solutions](https://blog.entegris.com/hydrogen-halides-in-semiconductor-manufacturing-three-gases-three-distinct-challenges-and-solutions) Mar, 2026 [Scaling New Heights: How Molybdenum is Revolutionizing 3D NAND Architectures](https://blog.entegris.com/scaling-new-heights-how-molybdenum-is-revolutionizing-3d-nand-architectures) Aug, 2025 [DRAM: Device Fabrication](https://blog.entegris.com/dram-device-fabrication) Jun, 2020 [Collaborating to Solve Advanced Packaging Substrate Challenges](https://blog.entegris.com/collaborating-to-solve-advanced-packaging-substrate-challenges) Dec, 2025 [End-to-End Manufacturing Excellence: Seven Questions Every New (or Growing) Fab Team Should Be Asking](https://blog.entegris.com/end-to-end-manufacturing-excellence-seven-questions-every-new-or-growing-fab-team-should-be-asking) Feb, 2026 [Under Pressure: Solving High Viscosity Material Challenges in Advanced Packaging](https://blog.entegris.com/under-pressure-solving-high-viscosity-material-challenges-in-advanced-packaging) Jan, 2026 [New Materials: Smoothing the Transition to Molybdenum](https://blog.entegris.com/new-materials-smoothing-the-transition-to-molybdenum) Sep, 2023 [Effect of POU Filter Pore Size on EUV Bridge Defect Density](https://blog.entegris.com/effect-of-pou-filter-pore-size-on-euv-bridge-defect-density) Apr, 2026 [Understanding AMC: The Invisible Threat to Semiconductor Yield and Reliability](https://blog.entegris.com/understanding-amc-the-invisible-threat-to-semiconductor-yield-and-reliability) Oct, 2025 ### Lists by Topic - [Semiconductor Manufacturers (70)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/semiconductor-manufacturers) - [Science & Innovation (58)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/science-innovation) - [Logic Manufacturers (41)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/logic-manufacturers) - [Memory Manufacturers (39)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/memory-manufacturers) - [Chemical Suppliers (23)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/chemical-suppliers) - [Materials Solutions (16)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/materials-solutions) - [Talent (14)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/talent) - [Advanced Packaging (5)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/advanced-packaging) - [Corporate (2)](https://blog.entegris.com/tag/corporate) ## Related Posts ## [Revisiting EUV Reticle Pod Particle Generation](https://blog.entegris.com/revisiting-euv-reticle-pod-particle-generation) Revisiting EUV Reticle Pod Particle Generation - [Entegris](https://blog.entegris.com/author/entegris) - September 29, 2026 ## [What Changes When High-Viscosity Materials Become Interface-Defining?](https://blog.entegris.com/what-changes-when-high-viscosity-materials-become-interface-defining) What Changes When High-Viscosity Materials Become Interface-Defining? - [Entegris](https://blog.entegris.com/author/entegris) - September 15, 2026 ## [From Lab to Fab: Capturing the Uncatchable in CMP Filtration](https://blog.entegris.com/from-lab-to-fab-capturing-the-uncatchable-in-cmp-filtration) From Lab to Fab: Capturing the Uncatchable in CMP Filtration - [Entegris](https://blog.entegris.com/author/entegris) - August 25, 2026 [![logo-header-desktop](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/logo-header-desktop.svg "logo-header-desktop")](https://blog.entegris.com/) - ![location-pin](https://blog.entegris.com/hs-fs/hubfs/location-pin.png?width=11&name=location-pin.png)[WORLDWIDE CONTACTS](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/locations.html) - ![phone-icon](https://blog.entegris.com/hs-fs/hubfs/phone-icon.png?width=13&name=phone-icon.png)+1 978 436 6500 - [Our Science](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/our-science.html) - [Product Catalog](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/products.html) - [Our Brands](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/brands.html) - [Resources](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/resources.html) - [About Us](https://www.entegris.com/en/home/about-us/corporate-overview.html) - [Contact Us](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/customer-service/contact-us.html) [![Facebook](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/EntegrisInc)[![x-logo](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/Entegris_Aug2019/Images/x-logo.svg)](https://twitter.com/entegris)[![YouTube](https://blog.entegris.com/hs-fs/hubfs/youtube.png?width=25&name=youtube.png)](https://www.youtube.com/user/EntegrisInc) [![LInkedIn](https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/linkedin.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/entegris/)[![Instagram](https://blog.entegris.com/hs-fs/hubfs/instagram.png?width=20&height=23&name=instagram.png)](https://www.instagram.com/entegrisinc/) © 2026 Entegris. All Rights Reserved [Privacy Policy](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/about-us/legal-trademark-notices/privacy-policy.html) / [Terms & Conditions](https://www.entegris.com/content/en/home/about-us/legal-trademark-notices/terms-and-conditions-of-sale.html) / [Legal Trademark Notices](https://www.entegris.com/content/entegris-live/en/home/about-us/legal-trademark-notices.html) }); ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Entegris", "url" : "https://blog.entegris.com/author/entegris" }, "dateModified" : "2020-03-03T19:00:12.076Z", "datePublished" : "2020-01-30T19:15:50.000Z", "headline" : "Filtration Fundamentals: Membrane Wetting", "image" : [ "https://blog.entegris.com/hubfs/av-agreggator-wetting-10450-770x200-1.svg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.entegris.com/filtration-fundamentals-membrane-wetting", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://api.hubapi.com/avatars/v1/signed-uris/1CkYKEAgEEgxlbnRlZ3Jpcy5jb20Yk5LZ5QUqHmJyYW5kaW5nOmpvYnM6b25lb2ZmOnVzLWVhc3QtMTIMMTcyLjE2LjE2LjcyEhkAew3HZIM2uQ6RtRoL9i3Cm-tCRTunon_3" }, "name" : "Entegris, Inc." } } ```