Disclosed are methods for coupling a ligand to a composite material. Covalent bonds are formed between functionalized composite materials and ligands as a ligand solution flows through or across the composite materials. The composite materials are useful as chromatographic separation media.

Described herein are articles for separating gases. The article includes an amorphous fluorinated copolymer containing, one or more types of fluorinated dioxolane ring monomers, and one or more types of fluorinated non-dioxolane ring monomers, optionally with crosslinking between the fluorinated copolymer chains. The copolymers of fluorinated dioxolane ring monomers and fluorinated non-dioxolane ring monomers show a large differential in the permeability of certain gases compared with other gases. The resulting polymer membranes have superior selectivity and reliability performance in certain gas separations compared with previous compositions known to the art. Methods for making and using the article described are also provided,

Described herein are water desalination membranes and methods of desalinating water. Sulfonated poly(arylene ether) polymers are also disclosed, including those comprising one or more sulfonate groups at various points along the polymer chain. The polymers may be used as at least a portion of a water desalination membrane. The polymers described herein are useful for preventing transport of aqueous ionic species (e.g., Na.sup.+ and Cl.sup.−) across a membrane made from the polymers while allowing water to pass. Chlorine-stable polymers are described, as well as polymers exhibiting good performance for rejecting monovalent cations in the presence of polyvalent cations.

Water or wastewater filtration processes and systems have a plurality of membrane modules, each having filter media therein, the plurality of membrane modules arranged in parallel fluid flow, a main bottom feed conduit, a main top feed conduit, and separate feed conduits fluidly connecting the main bottom feed conduits and the main top feed conduits to respective membrane modules. A main filtrate conduit, and separate filtrate conduits fluidly connect respective membrane modules to the main filtrate conduit. A backwash conduit fluidly connects the main filtrate conduit to respective membrane modules through the main top and bottom feed conduits. A pump having a pump feed conduit and a pump discharge conduit, the pump discharge conduit fluidly connected to the main top and bottom feed conduits, and a plurality of automatically controllable valves positioned in the main top and bottom feed conduits, the main filtrate conduit, the pump discharge conduit, and the backwash conduit, with a controller configured to actuate the plurality of automatically controllable valves to control feed and backwash flows through the membrane modules using pressure developed only by the pump. The pump is preferably operated by a variable-speed prime mover.

A process for the preparation of a filtration membrane, which includes providing an aqueous suspension of vesicles having transmembrane proteins incorporated therein, the vesicles being formed from an amphiphilic block copolymer having reactive end groups; providing a porous support; functionalizing a surface of the porous support to introduce reactive groups on the surface which are capable of reacting with the reactive end groups of the amphiphilic block copolymers of the vesicles; depositing said suspension of vesicles on a surface of the porous support; and providing reaction conditions such that covalent bonds are formed between the vesicles and the surface.

The present disclosure discloses a spacer tube reverse osmosis (STRO) membrane and a preparation method thereof, which relates to the technical field of reverse osmosis membranes. The preparation method of the STRO membrane specifically comprises the following steps: S101: preparation of a zirconia sol; S102: preparation of a casting solution; S103: preparation of a polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane; S104: immersion; and S105: coating. In the preparation method of the present disclosure, an ionic liquid and high-pressure-resistant particles are introduced into an ultrafiltration layer, the ionic liquid is cross-linked with the ultrafiltration layer in the process of interfacial polymerization, and a layer of the ionic liquid is coated on a surface, so that a three-layer high-performance three-dimensional crosslinking system is formed via the ionic liquid. The ionic liquid is prevented from falling off and dispersing in an oil phase solution, and the pressure resistance and hydrophilic performance of the STRO membrane is greatly improved. The STRO membrane is more suitable for using in high-pressure and high-concentration environments. By combining the ionic liquid with the zirconia sol, the STRO membrane of the present disclosure has higher tensile strength and pressure resistance compared with the reverse osmosis membrane prepared by other modified additives. In addition, the flux and desalination rate of the STRO membrane are also improved compared with the conventional reverse osmosis membranes.

A composite that includes graphene and an interfacially-polymerized polyamide, where the composite is in the form of a self-supporting membrane having a graphene side opposite to a polyamide side, or the composite is in the form of a microparticle comprising a graphene core and a polyamide shell, a method of manufacture of the composites by interfacial polymerization and methods of use of the composite are described.

The invention relates to dense synthetic membranes made from polymerised phosphonium-based ionic liquids which were found to be particularly suitable for use in gas separation. The membranes are obtainable by copolymerization via UV-curing of a composition comprising a phosphonium-based ionic liquid monomer, a co-monomer, a cross-linker, a surfactant and a photo-initiator, the remainder of the polymerization mixture consisting of water. The invention also relates to a process of manufacturing said membranes, resulting in solid, dense and mechanically stable membranes, and to the use of the membranes so produced in the separation of gas mixtures, particularly gas mixtures containing carbon dioxide.

A filter assembly including a filtration medium comprising a nanofiber, having a three-dimensional network structure, and having a fiber web layer comprising a hydrophilic coating layer that covers at least a part of the outer surface of the nanofiber; and a first support body that supports the filtration medium, which is provided on both surfaces thereof, and has a channel formed therein. Accordingly, the filtration medium has excellent chemical resistance and improved hydrophilicity such that the flow rate can increase substantially. In addition, the improved hydrophilicity is maintained for a long period of time such that the utilization period can be extended substantially. Furthermore, any change in the pore structure of the filtration medium during the hydrophilicity endowing process is minimized such that the initially designed physical characteristics of the filtration medium can be fully exhibited.

A pervaporation membrane formed on a porous support containing a composition encompassing a polysiloxane, a crosslinker and a catalyst are disclosed and claimed. Also disclosed are the fabrication of membranes which exhibit unique separation properties, and their use in the separation of organic volatiles from biomass and/or organic waste, including butanol, ethanol, and the like.