A method for fabricating a nanopore at a particular location in a membrane includes controlling a dielectric strength of the membrane at a particular location on the membrane while applying one of an electric potential or an electric current to the membrane, monitoring an electrical property across the membrane while one of the electric potential or the electric current is being applied across the membrane, detecting an abrupt change in the electrical property across the membrane while one of the electric potential or the electric current is being applied across the membrane; and removing the electric potential or the electric current from the membrane in response to detecting the abrupt change in the electrical property.

A roll-to-roll system for forming a hydrophobic polymer membrane surface includes a heated carrier belt, a repository of polymer material arranged to deposit the polymer material onto the carrier to create a heated polymer, an electrode belt positioned opposite the carrier belt, an electric field generator positioned to generate an electric field between the carrier belt and the electrode belt and to infuse a pattern into the heated polymer to form a patterned polymer film, and a solvent bath to rinse the patterned polymer film. A method of creating a hydrophobic polymer membrane surface includes depositing a polymer material onto a heated carrier, using the carrier, transporting the polymer material past an electrode that acts as an electric field generator, generating an electric field adjacent the carrier, using the electric field to infuse a pattern into the polymer membrane surface, and setting the pattern into the polymer membrane surface.

The disclosure describes a method of forming highly ordered membrane protein crystals. The forming process is done in the presence of a magnetic field to exploit the diamagnetic anisotropy of the membrane protein. Further described is a method of magnetic alignment and crystallization of membrane proteins in two-dimensional (2D) sheets for protein structural characterization and applications in functional devices. Block co-copolymers are used in alternative embodiments to assist with the crystallization process.

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.

Disclosed herein are boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes and methods of manufacturing boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes. In an embodiment, a boron-nitride nanoparticle membrane includes a matrix and a plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles disposed within the matrix, where he plurality of boron-nitride nanoparticles are configured for selective molecular transport through each of the plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles.

The apparatus for making a nanopore in a membrane generally has an electrode configured to connect to one of two opposing surfaces of the membrane; a conductive tip configured to contact a location of the other one of the two opposing surfaces of the membrane; and a voltage source electrically connected between the electrode and the conductive tip and operable to generate an electric potential across the membrane, the electric potential locally removing material of the membrane at the location to make the nanopore.

A method of preparing a graphene-based membrane is provided. The method may include providing a stacked arrangement of layers of a graphene-based material, wherein the layers of the graphene-based material define one or more nanochannels between neighboring layers, and varying an electrical charge on a surface of the layers of the graphene-based material defining the one or more nanochannels to control size selectivity and/or ionic selectivity of the graphene-based membrane. A graphene-based membrane and a method of separating ions from a fluid stream are also provided.

Provided is a method for preparing a defect-free DDR molecular sieve membrane. Sigma-1 molecular sieve is used as an inducing seed crystal to prepare and obtain a continuous and compact DDR molecular sieve membrane on the surface of a porous ceramic support. An ozone atmosphere or an external field assisted technology is used to remove a template in the pores of the molecular sieve membrane at a low temperature. The invention avoids the formation of intercrystal defects and cracks, an activated DDR molecular sieve membrane has a good selectivity for separating CO2, and the membrane preparation time is significantly reduced.

A method is described for forming a body having at least one through-going passage, said method has the steps of: a) providing a mixture comprising particles and at least one liquid pocket inside a curable matrix, b) subjecting said mixture to a first alternating voltage having a first frequency to form a body in which said at least one liquid pocket extends from a first surface of said body to a second surface of said body thereby forming at least one through-going passage lacking curable matrix, and c) curing said curable matrix into a cured matrix, wherein at least some of said particles are located at an interface between said at least one through-going passage comprising liquid and said cured matrix.

A method for producing a nanostructure or an article having at least a nanostructured portion includes obtaining a colloidal suspension of sheets of material for forming nanoparticles, the sheets being less than four atomic layers thick and the colloidal suspension having a preselected concentration of the sheets of material suspended therein; supplying the colloidal suspension to an electro-hydrodynamic system, the electro-hydrodynamic system including a spray nozzle, a ground electrode spaced apart from the spray nozzle, and a high voltage DC power supply electrically connected to the spray nozzle and the ground electrode, the high voltage DC Power supply being suitable for supplying at least a 0.05 kV/cm electric field between the spray nozzle and the ground electrode; providing a substrate arranged between the spray nozzle and the ground electrode such that droplets from the spray nozzle are directed to the substrate to deposit nanostructures thereon; and applying a DC voltage using the high voltage DC power supply between the spray nozzle and the ground electrode such that charged droplets from the spray nozzle are repelled from the spray nozzle and attracted towards the substrate. The DC voltage is selected such that the droplets have sizes sufficiently small to result in substantially isolated sheets within each droplet.