The invention provides a filtration membrane which comprises a porous support and, covalently bonded to a surface thereof, a layer comprising a plurality of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, said vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer; characterised in that within said layer, vesicles are covalently linked together to form a coherent mass. The membrane may be prepared by a process which comprises providing an aqueous suspension of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, said vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer having reactive end groups; depositing said suspension of vesicles on a surface of a porous support; and providing reaction conditions such that covalent bonds are formed between different vesicles and between vesicles and said surface.

A method for preparing a SiO.sub.2-polyethersulfone conductive ultrafiltration membrane and the ultrafiltration membrane comprises hydrophilic CF cloth as the conductive membrane base, which provides an effective carrier for the preparation of a stable and efficient conductive membrane. After pretreatment, the silica solution was combined with the membrane via film scraping. Then phase catalysis and polymerization of PES onto the film obtained the final silica dioxide-polyethersulfone conductive ultrafiltration membrane. The silica solution was applied in the form of a coating on the hydrophilic CF cloth, in which silicon dioxide combined with the hydrophilic CF cloth, avoiding electrochemical interference. The modified hydrophilic CF cloth improved the hydrophilicity of the conductive film, with silica firmly attaching to PES and improving the stability of the SiO.sub.2-polyethersulfone conductive ultrafiltration membrane. After 8 cycles of reuse, the performance of the membrane remained stable.

Methods of making a poly(propylenimine) (PPI) sorbent, a PPI sorbent, structures including the PPI sorbent, methods of separating CO.sub.2 using the PPI sorbent, and the like, are disclosed.

A vesicle incorporate a transmembrane protein, the vesicle forming material including a mixture of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) and polyetheramine. The vesicle can generally withstand elevated temperature without substantial shrinkage of the diameter, which in turn results in maintenance of the water permeability virtually unaffected. Pluronic based vesicles have a large content of amino groups available on the surface illustrated by the larger zeta potential values available for crosslinking in the polyamide layer by chemical reaction with trimesoyl chloride (TMC).

A species extraction apparatus for liquid-based extractions is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises a body supporting a matrix structure comprising cellular units. The apparatus is configured to uptake an absorptive liquid, and the absorptive liquid can remove at least one species from a working fluid that contacts the apparatus. In certain embodiments, the at least one species can be CO.sub.2, and the absorptive liquid can be liquid water-free tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The apparatus is advantageously manufacture using additive manufacturing techniques.

Disclosed herein are mixed matrix membranes, the mixed matrix membranes comprising a metal organic framework CA dispersed in a continuous polymer phase and methods of making and use thereof. The mixed matrix membranes can comprise a plurality of metal organic framework particles comprising UiO-66-(COOH).sub.2 dispersed in a continuous polymer phase. The mixed matrix membranes can comprise a plurality of metal organic framework particles dispersed in a continuous polymer phase comprising polyethersulfone, polyphenylsulfone, Matrimid, Torlon, cellulose acetate, or combinations thereof. Also disclosed herein are mixed matrix membranes for separating a target ion from a non-target ion in a liquid medium. Also described herein methods of separating a target ion from a non-target ion in a liquid medium using a mixed matrix membrane, wherein the mixed matrix membrane comprises a plurality of metal organic framework particles dispersed in a continuous polymer phase.

Gas separation membranes as may be used in separating gaseous materials from one another and methods of forming the membranes are described. The separation membranes include polymer-grafted nanoparticles (GNPs) as a platform and a relatively small amount of free polymer. The free polymer and the polymer grafted to the nanoparticles have the same chemical structure and similar number average molecular weights. The gas separation membranes can exhibit high ideal selectivity and can be used in a variety of applications, such as carbon capture.

Integrating an aquaporin Z protein addition to an outer surface of hollow fiber membranes and a production method of aquaporin Z integrated hollow fiber membranes using different hollow fiber support membranes are provided. The production method includes polymeric, nanocomposite materials. When an aquaporin protein integrated onto reinforced hollow fiber membranes, increase in a mechanical strength and a flux of the reinforced hollow fiber membranes was observed.

The present application discloses a conductive membrane and a preparation method thereof, which belong to the field of membrane separation technology. The conductive membrane provided by the present application includes a porous base layer film, a porous intermediate layer film, and a porous conductive layer film which are disposed layer by layer in sequence; wherein at least some holes of the base layer film are communicated with holes of the conductive layer film through holes of the intermediate layer film, and material of the intermediate layer film is the same as material of the base layer film and of the conductive layer film. Regarding the conductive membrane provided by the present application, it can be coupled with electrochemical technology, so that the membrane exhibits new excellent properties at the same time of playing separating characteristic.

The invention relates to a blood treatment device configured to dephosphorylate extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the blood of a patient in need thereof in an extracorporeal blood circuit, wherein the device comprises a matrix having alkaline phosphatase (AP) immobilized thereon. The invention further relates to an extracorporeal blood circuit comprising a blood treatment device of the invention and to the blood treatment device for use as a medicament or to methods of treating an infection, preferably a blood or systemic infection, such as sepsis, and/or for the treatment of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI).