Asymmetric articles are described including a porous substrate with two opposing major surfaces and a porous structure extending between the surfaces, and a polymeric coating on one of the major surfaces and extending into the porous structure to a depth of the porous structure. Methods for making an asymmetric composite article are also provided, including providing a porous substrate, treating the porous substrate with a plasma treatment or a corona treatment from one major surface to a depth of the porous structure between the two major surfaces. The method further includes applying a coating solution to the treated porous substrate and drying the coating solution to form a composite asymmetric composite article having a polymeric coating on one major surface and extending into the porous structure to the depth of the treated porous structure.

An object is to form a hole having a desired size accurately and uniformly in a carbon nanomaterial used for a filter or the like, such as a graphene, a carbon nanotube, or a carbon nanohorn.

Provided is a method for perforating a carbon nanomaterial for forming a hole having a desired size in a carbon nanomaterial, characterized in that the carbon nanomaterial is heated and held at a low temperature in the air containing oxygen of 160 to 250 C. for a predetermined time and that a hole having a desired size is thereby formed uniformly in the carbon nanomaterial by controlling a length of heating time.

A radiation curable composition for preparing a polymeric membrane includes a) a membrane polymer selected from the group consisting of a polysulfone (PSU), a polyether sulfone (PES), a polyether etherketone (PEEK), a polyvinylchloride (PVC), a polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a polyimide (PI), a polyamide (PA) and copolymers thereof; b) a hydrophobic monomer or oligomer having at least two free radical polymerizable groups independently selected from the group consisting of an acrylate group, a methacrylate group, an acrylamide group, a methacrylamide group, a styrene group, a vinyl ether group, a vinyl ester group, a maleate group, a fumarate group, an itaconate group, and a maleimide group; and c) an organic solvent for the membrane polymer and the hydrophobic monomer. A polymeric membrane and a method for manufacturing the membrane are also disclosed.

A method of making a monomer solution of styrene sulfonic acid or the pyridine salt of styrene sulfonic acid or mixtures of both in an organic solvent, said solution being suitable for producing cation exchange membranes. The method comprises the steps of dissolving a metal salt of styrene sulfonate in said organic solvent and pyridinium styrene sulfonate. The mixture solution is reacted under conditions that generate a salt byproduct precipitate and the reactant product solution is collected. Embodiments of the present invention provide for cation exchange membranes and processes for their manufacture. Membranes made by the processes described herein combine low resistance and high permselectivity which make them highly effective for membrane components in desalination of water by electrodialysis (ED), as a power generating sources in reverse electrodialysis and as separators in fuels cells.

According to the present invention, an aromatic polysulfone resin is offered which is suitable as film material, especially in porous membranes. The aromatic polysulfone resin of the present invention has a reduced viscosity of 0.55-0.65 dL/g, and preferably 0.58-0.62 dL/g, number average molecular weight (Mn) of 22000 or more, and preferably 23500 or more, and a value of the ratio of weight average molecular weight (Mw) relative to number average molecular weight (Mn) of 2.54 or less, and preferably 2.50 or less.

A process for preparing a composite membrane comprising the steps: a) applying a radiation-curable composition to a porous support; b) irradiating the composition and thereby forming a gutter layer of cured polymer; and c) forming a discriminating layer on the gutter layer; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises a partially crosslinked, radiation-curable polymer comprising epoxy groups and siloxane groups, a photoinitiator and is substantially free from mono-epoxy compounds. Composite membranes and gas separation cartridges are also claimed.

A process for preparing a composite membrane comprising the steps of: a) applying a radiation-curable composition to a porous support; b) irradiating the composition and thereby forming a layer of cured polymer of thickness 20 to 400 nm on the support; c) forming a discriminating layer on the layer of cured polymer; and d) optionally forming a protective layer on the discriminating layer; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises a partially crosslinked, radiation-curable polymer comprises dialkylsiloxane groups. Composite membranes are also claimed.

A method for making a nanoporous membrane is disclosed. The method provides a composite film comprising an atomically thin material layer and a polymer layer, and then bombarding the composite film with energetic particles to form a plurality of pores through at least the atomically thin material layer. The nanoporous membrane also has a atomically thin material layer with a plurality of apertures therethrough and a polymer film layer adjacent one side of the graphene layer. The polymer film layer has a plurality of enlarged pores therethrough, which are aligned with the plurality of apertures. All of the enlarged pores may be concentrically aligned with all the apertures. In one embodiment the atomically thin material layer is graphene.

The present disclosure relates to a method for forming a transport mechanism for transporting at least one of a gas or a liquid. The method may comprise using a 3D printing operation to form the mechanism with an inlet and an outlet, and controlling the 3D printing operation to create the mechanism as an engineered surface structure formed in a layer-by-layer process. The method may further comprise controlling the 3D printing operation such that the engineered surface structure includes a plurality of cells propagating periodically in three dimensions, with non-intersecting, non-flat, continuously curving wall portions which form two non-intersecting domains, and where the wall portions have openings forming a plurality of flow paths extending in three orthogonal dimensions throughout from the inlet to the outlet, and such that the engineered surface structure has wall portions having a mean curvature other than zero.

A process for preparing an ion-exchange membrane having a textured surface profile comprising the steps (i) and (ii): (i) applying a radiation-curable composition to a membrane in a patternwise manner; and (ii) irradiating and thereby curing the radiation-curable composition present on the membrane; wherein the radiation-curable composition comprises: a) 10 to 65 wt % of curable ionic compound(s) comprising one ethylenically unsaturated group; b) 3 to 60 wt % of crosslinking agent(s) comprising at least two ethylenically unsaturated groups and having a number average molecular weight below 800; c) 0 to 70 wt % of inert solvent(s); d) 0 to 10 wt % of free-radical initiator(s);and e) 0.5 to 25 wt % of thickening agent(s).