The present invention relates to a composite semipermeable membrane including: a supporting membrane including a substrate and a porous supporting layer; and a separation functional layer disposed on the porous supporting layer, in which the separation functional layer includes: a crosslinked polyamide; and a hydrophilic polymer which is a polymer of a monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated group, and a surface of the separation functional layer has a ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the number of nitrogen atoms (O/N ratio), both determined by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry, of 1.5-10, and a standard deviation of the O/N ratio of 0.15 or larger.

The present invention relates to an asymmetric structure moisturizing mask pack comprising a polylactide. More specifically, the present invention relates to a porous membrane mask pack prepared from copolymers of polylactide and polyvinyl alcohol, wherein the skin contact surface of the mask pack is hydrophilic and the back surface thereof is hydrophobic.

Features of relatively low pressure microporous (and preferably plant-responsive) irrigation tubes are combined with features of relatively high pressure drip emitter tubes to produce a hybrid irrigation tube. Methods for using and manufacturing the hybrid irrigation tube are also disclosed.

This invention provides a new high flux reverse osmosis (RO) membrane comprising a nanoporous polyethersulfone (PES)/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane (PEO-Si) blend support membrane (PES/PEO-Si) comprising a polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane (PEO-Si) polymer and a polyethersulfone (PES) polymer, a hydrophilic polymer inside the pores on the skin layer surface of the polyethersulfone/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane blend support membrane, and a thin, nanometer layer of cross-linked polyamide on the skin layer surface of said polyethersulfone/polyethylene oxide-polysilsesquioxane blend support membrane, and a method of making such a membrane. This invention also provides a method of using the new high flux reverse osmosis membrane comprising nanoporous PES/PEO-Si blend support membrane for water purification.

A method of making a filter, the resulting filter, and a method of using the filter to filter proteins from solution are described. The method includes contacting a porous, polymeric substrate with a transfer liquid comprising a solvent(s) and a charged polymeric solute. The transfer liquid and the polymeric substrate have a Hansen Solubility Parameter (HSP) distance of from about 10 to about 35. Contacting the polymeric substrate with the transfer solution causes the polymeric substrate to accept the charged polymeric solute by diffusion transfer, thereby yielding a functionalized filter medium. Removal of the transfer liquid from the polymeric substrate traps the charged polymeric solute on the surface of the polymeric substrate.

A filtration membrane coating comprising a hydrophilic polymer, a surfactant, and one or more charged compounds, each containing one or more sulfonate functionalities and one or more linkable functionalities selected from the group consisting of amine, monochlorotriazine, and dichlorotriazine. The hydrophilic polymer and surfactant form a thin primer layer which is also superhydrophilic. The primer layer improves flux, and enables improved adhesion of the one or more charged compounds, which form a charged dye layer on top of the primer layer when enhances rejection of charged divalent ions. The coating can be applied while the membrane is packaged in its final form, such as in a spiral wound or other configuration.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

The present invention relates to an acid-resistant nanomembrane with an improved flow rate and a method of producing the acid-resistant nanomembrane, and more particularly, to an acid-resistant nanomembrane with an improved flow rate, which can also be used under strong-acid and high-temperature conditions for the recovery of rare metals, valuable metals, and the like generated in a smelting process and which exhibits both excellent flow rate and excellent acid resistance, and a method of producing the acid-resistant nanomembrane.

A method for treating a surface of a microporous membrane includes: (1) contacting at least one surface of the membrane with a treatment composition including: (a) an acrylic polymer prepared from a mixture of vinyl monomers including: (i) a (meth)acrylic acid monomer and (ii) a silane-functional acrylic monomer; and (b) a base, where the acrylic polymer is in contact with the filler present in the matrix; and (2) subjecting the membrane of (1) to conditions sufficient to effect a condensation reaction between the filler and the acrylic polymer. A treated microporous membrane and an aqueous treatment composition are also disclosed.

A method for producing a dialysis membrane in hollow-fiber membrane or flat membrane geometry includes: a) making a casting or spinning solution for production of a base membrane for the dialysis membrane out of at least one polysulfone and at least one pore-forming hydrophilic additive in at least one organic solvent, b) bringing the casting or spinning solution into contact with a precipitating agent to form the base membrane, and c) rinsing out the at least one organic solvent after precipitation of the casting or spinning solution in flat or hollow-fiber form.