Atomic layer deposition is utilized to deposit a coating on a membrane. The coated membrane exhibits a tightly bound hydration layer upon exposure to water. The resultant coated membrane is oleophobic.

A composite semipermeable membrane includes a porous support membrane, a separation functional layer containing a polyamide disposed on the porous support membrane, and a coating layer disposed on the separation functional layer, wherein a water contact angle of a surface of the coating layer is 40° or less, and a protein adsorption force of the surface of the coating layer is 0.4 nN or less.

Water permeable membranes and methods of preparation are described. The water permeable membrane can comprise a porous support, and a polyamide layer comprising a crosslinked polyamide on a surface of the porous support, wherein the polyamide layer further comprises nanoparticles and a hydrophilic additive, and wherein the hydrophilic additive covalently bonds to the crosslinked polyamide. The crosslinked polyamide can be interfacially polymerized on the porous support. Methods for desalinating water, performing dialysis, or performing pervaporation using the water permeable membranes are disclosed.

Disclosed is the preparation of composite membranes formed by a tailored selective chemical modification of an ultra-thin nanoporous surface layer of a semi-crystalline mesoporous poly (aryl ether ketone) membrane with graded density pore structure. The composite separation layer is synthesized in situ on the poly (aryl ether ketone) substrate surface and is covalently linked to the surface of the semi-crystalline mesoporous poly (aryl ether ketone) membrane. Hollow fiber configuration is the preferred embodiment of forming the functionalized the poly (aryl ether ketone) membranes. Composite poly (aryl ether ketone) membranes of the present invention are particularly useful for a broad range of fluid separation applications, including organic solvent ultrafiltration and nanofiltration to separate and recover active pharmaceutical ingredients.

The present invention relates to a method to make polymeric membranes that are preferably useful in dialysis, wherein the method conducts at least one membrane-forming step and/or post-forming processing step with the use of sonication. Polymeric membrane, such as polymeric hollow fiber membrane, having improved one or properties are further described.

A method for preparing a durably hydrophilic and uniform-pore ultrafiltration membrane is disclosed herein. Chemical reactions between the functional groups and the active bonds of the molecular chains in the membrane materials are initiated perform the grafting of hydrophilic chains on the polymer chains under conventional dissolution conditions of the polymer membrane material (dissolution with synchronized hydrophilization), so as to realize durable hydrophilization of the membrane materials. The resulting hydrophilized polymer solution (a nascent-state membrane) is introduced into a coagulation bath to initiate a crosslinking reaction among the hydrophilic chains. The resulting crosslinking serves to synergistically regulate subsequent phase separation and membrane formation (phase separation under synergistic crosslinking).

It is provided a water-saturated carbon molecular sieve membrane obtainable by a) providing a hydrophilic carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM) comprising pores of a pore size from 0.25 nm to 0.55 nm for molecular sieving, pores of a pore size from 0.55 nm to 0.90 nm for adsorption diffusion and a negligible amount of pores larger than 0.90 nm such that a plot of N.sub.2 permeance versus pressure of permeation at room temperature and at a pressure from 1 to 4 bar has zero or negative slope; and b) humidifying the membrane until obtaining a water-saturated carbon molecular sieve membrane. It is also provided a process for the separation of a gas from a gas mixture with such a water-saturated membrane, and its use for solvent dehydration, and as a membrane reactor.

An ion-exchange apparatus has a raw-water tank 1, a treatment tank 2, an ion exchanger 3 and a voltage applying device E. The raw-water tank 1 contains a to be treated liquid that has impurity ions. The treatment tank 2 contains a treatment material with exchange ions exchangeable with the impurity ions. The ion exchanger 3 enables the passage of the impurity ions from the raw-water tank 1 to the treatment tank 2 and the passage of the exchange ions from the treatment tank 2 to the raw-water tank 1. The voltage-applying device E applies a voltage to the ion exchanger 3.

Systems and methods using: a membrane unit to treat fluids recovered from an oil and gas well are provided. The membrane unit may include a membrane having a porous substrate at. least partially coated with graphene oxide, making the membrane hydrophilic. The membrane separates water from other components within a fluid stream. The membrane unit may include an inlet to receive a fluid stream into the membrane unit. The fluid stream may be pretreated prior to reaching the membrane unit The membrane unit may also include a first outlet in fluid communication with one side of the membrane and a second outlet in fluid communication with the opposite side of the membrane.

A hydrophilic graphitic material is provided that may be formed by heating a graphitic material to a temperature between about 150° C. to about 1400° C. for an extended period of time under an inert atmosphere. Annealing CNT film at 500 to 1400 removes amorphous carbon to produce purified CNT film. The purified CNT film can be further densified with the treatment of alkylphosphonic acid or alkyldiphophonic acid and heating to produce a hydrophilic, densified CNT film which is mechanically robust and does not adhere to other solid surfaces. These films can be used as filtration membranes with superior membrane fouling resistance among other uses.