The present disclosure provides methods, compositions, kits and apparatuses for stabilizing membranes, membrane proteins, and/or membranes containing membrane proteins using hydrophobin.

A process is provided for separation of light olefins and paraffins and particular for the separation of propylene and propane comprising sending at least one olefin/paraffin stream to a distillation column and a membrane unit to produce an olefin stream comprising at least 92 mol % olefin. In an embodiment of the invention where the membrane unit is placed downstream from the column which can produce propylene streams at polymer grade of over 99.5 mol % propylene.

A carbon dioxide separation method including the steps of: feeding a mixed gas that contains at least carbon dioxide and water vapor to a carbon dioxide separation membrane that contains a hydrophilic resin and a carbon dioxide carrier; separating, from the mixed gas, a permeation gas that contains the carbon dioxide by use of the carbon dioxide separation membrane; adjusting temperature of gas which contacts the carbon dioxide separation membrane so that a temperature difference between the mixed gas and the permeation gas is not lower than 0? C. and not higher than 20? C.; and adjusting pressure of the permeation gas, the pressure of the permeation gas and water vapor partial pressure in the mixed gas satisfying the following formula (1): 2.5 kPaA<(pressure of permeation gas)<(water vapor partial pressure in mixed gas) . . . (1).

A nanocomposite membrane includes a macroporous polymer membrane having a plurality of pores. A plurality of metal nanoparticles are synthesized and immobilized within those plurality of pores. The nanoparticles are reduced and capped with a green reducing and capping agent such as green tea extract.

The subject of the invention is new membranes in which tailor-made membrane transport proteins (such as e.g. TCDB classified proteins) act as pore-forming proteins (e.g. FhuA) or peptides which act as pores in the membrane. The membranes can preferably be produced both by linking synthesised protein-polymer conjugates and by direct linking of the pore-forming proteins and peptides. Such membranes are distinguished by many outstanding features which existing membranes have not been able to offer to date.

The invention provides an implantable membrane for regulating the transport of analytes therethrough that includes a matrix including a first polymer; and a second polymer dispersed throughout the matrix, wherein the second polymer forms a network of microdomains which when hydrated are not observable using photomicroscopy at 400? magnification or less. In one aspect, the homogeneous membrane of the present invention has hydrophilic domains dispersed substantially throughout a hydrophobic matrix to provide an optimum balance between oxygen and glucose transport to an electrochemical glucose sensor.

A method for producing a gas separation membrane, including the following steps: step(a): treating the surfaces of silica nanoparticles dispersed in a first solvent with a reactive functional group-containing compound, while nanoparticles are being dispersed in the solvent, to thereby prepare a first solvent dispersion of reactive functional group-modified silica nanoparticles; step(b): replacing the first solvent dispersion's dispersion medium of reactive functional group-modified silica nanoparticles prepared in step(a) with a second solvent without drying of dispersion medium, and then reacting functional group-modified silica nanoparticles with dendrimer-forming monomer or hyperbranched polymer-forming monomer in the second solvent's presence so that dendrimer or hyperbranched polymer is added to reactive functional group, to thereby prepare dendrimer- or hyperbranched polymer-bound silica nanoparticles; step(c): mixing dendrimer- or hyperbranched polymer-bound silica nanoparticles prepared in step(b) with a matrix resin; and step (d): applying mixture prepared in step(c) to a substrate, and then removing the solvent.

The invention provides a membrane suitable for dewatering acidic mixtures, comprising a bridged organosilica directly applied on a macroporous support in the absence of an intermediate mesoporous or finer layer. The bridged organic silica comprises divalent C.sub.1-C.sub.9 organic groups A.sup.2 and/or trivalent C.sub.1-C.sub.9 organic groups A.sup.3 directly bound to the silicon atoms of the organosilica. In particular, the membrane comprises bis-silylmethane or bis-silylethane groups. The membranes effectively separate water from acidic mixtures at high temperatures and without decrease in performance for at least several months.

A blood purification membrane capable of adsorbing creatinine which is a uremic toxin in the blood and purifying the blood, the blood purification membrane including fibers and particles adhered to the aforementioned fibers, wherein the aforementioned fibers are composed of a polymer insoluble in water, the aforementioned particles contain SiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and pores capable of incorporating at least a portion of the aforementioned uremic toxin are provided in the aforementioned particles.

Cation exchange membranes and materials including silica-based ceramics, and associated methods, are provided. In some aspects, cation exchange membranes that include a silica-based ceramic that forms a coating on and/or within a porous support membrane are described. The cation exchange membranes and materials may have certain structural or chemical attributes (e.g., pore size/distribution, chemical functionalization) that, alone or in combination, can result in advantageous performance characteristics in any of a variety of applications for which selective transport of positively charged ions through membranes/materials is desired. In some embodiments, the silica-based ceramic contains relatively small pores (e.g., substantially spherical nanopores) that may contribute to some such advantageous properties. In some embodiments, the cation exchange membrane or material includes sulfonate and/or sulfonic acid groups covalently bound to the silica-based ceramic.