The present invention relates to the field of water treatment/fluoride removal and to materials/devices useful in such processes. Specifically, the invention provides for hybrid materials comprising amyloid fibrils and ZrO2; and to composite materials further comprising a support material. The invention further provides for the treatment of water using such hybrid or composite materials.

A separation membrane (10) of the present disclosure includes: a separation functional layer (30) composed of a polyamide; and a coating (40) covering the separation functional layer (30) and containing a polymer having a repeating unit represented by the following formula (1). In the formula (1), N.sup.+ is a nitrogen atom constituting a quaternary ammonium cation, and R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are each independently a substituent containing a carbon atom bonded to the nitrogen atom. ##STR00001##

The invention relates to a method for creating a porous film through aqueous phase separation, the method comprising: i) providing an aqueous solution comprising a responsive copolymer, and optionally a charged polymer, wherein at least one of the monomers in the responsive copolymer is a responsive monomer; ii) forming the aqueous solution into a thin layer and contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which the responsive copolymer is not soluble, or contacting the thin layer of aqueous solution with an aqueous coagulation solution in which a complex comprising the responsive copolymer and the charged polymer is not soluble; and iii) allowing solvent exchange between the aqueous solution and the aqueous coagulation solution to produce a porous film. The invention further relates to porous films or membranes thus obtained.

Methods of producing an ion exchange membrane support are disclosed. The methods include saturating a polymeric microporous substrate with a charged monomer solution comprising at least one functional monomer, a cross-linking agent, and an effective amount of at least one photopolymerization initiator and polymerizing the at least one functional monomer by exposing the saturated polymeric microporous substrate to ultraviolet light under conditions effective to cross-link the at least one functional monomer and produce the ion exchange membrane support. Methods of producing a monovalent selective ion exchange membrane are also disclosed. The methods include functionalizing an exterior surface of the ion exchange membrane support with a charged compound layer, drying the ion exchange membrane support and soaking the ion exchange membrane support in a solution comprising an acid or a base for an amount of time effective to produce the monovalent selective ion exchange membrane.

A single piece-type bipolar film roll with a mesh cloth support and a manufacturing method therefor. The single piece-type bipolar film roll is supported by a high-strength ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene mesh cloth, one side of the single piece-type bipolar film roll is a cation exchange layer containing a benzenesulfonic acid group, the other side of the single piece-type bipolar roll is an anion exchange layer containing a benzyl dimethyl butyl ammonium quaternary amino group, and the middle is a water dissociation catalyst layer containing a benzyl methyl butyl amine tertiary amino group, and the three layers form the single piece-type bipolar film roll. By providing a wider protective film and a narrower spacing film, a dipping and absorbing film roll is polymerized to prepare a composite base film roll which is then subjected to continuous sulfonation to prepare a single-sided sulfonated composite positive film roll, and then the unreacted blank side is sequentially subjected to three-step chemical reactions such as complete chloromethylation, complete tertiary amination and incomplete methylation, so as to prepare a single piece-type bipolar film roll having a compact structure, a clear middle interface, a high mechanical strength and a stable quaternary amino group, and the product qualification rate is high; and the single piece-type bipolar film roll is suitable for a bipolar film electrodialysis engineering application of an organic material-containing system.

A composite semipermeable membrane capable of forming, on a surface of a porous support in a highly reproducible manner, a separation layer that is extremely thin and that exhibits superior separability. It provides, on a surface of a porous support, a composite semipermeable membrane that has an organic/inorganic hybrid separation layer that is extremely thin and that exhibits superior separability. A method for manufacturing a composite semipermeable membrane includes forming, on a surface of a porous support, a separation layer containing a cross-linked condensate having a siloxane bond by bringing an organic solution that contains an organic silicon compound containing three or more reactive functional groups, each of which is at least one type selected from a hydrolyzable group and a hydroxyl group, into contact with water or an aqueous solution on the porous support, and by performing interfacial polycondensation of the organic silicon compound.

New carbon nanomaterials, preferably titanium carbide-derived carbon (CDC) nanoparticles, were embedded into a polyamide film to give CDC/polyamide mixed matrix membranes by the interfacial polymerization reaction of an aliphatic diamine, e.g., piperazine, and an activated aromatic dicarboxylate, e.g., isophthaloyl chloride, supported on a sulfone-containing polymer, e.g., polysulfone (PSF), layer, which is preferably previously prepared by dry/wet phase inversion. The inventive membranes can separate CO.sub.2 (or other gases) from mixtures of CO.sub.2 and further gases, esp. CH.sub.4, based upon the generally selective nanocomposite layer(s) of CDC/polyamide.

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.

Spiral wound reverse osmosis devices with reduced lateral leakage and thereby increased salt rejection are made by compacting a microporous layer within a composite reverse osmosis membrane longitudinally along its lengthwise periphery. Means and method for causing longitudinal indentations in composite membranes during manufacturing operations are disclosed and described.

A method for in situ production of antimicrobial filtration membranes that uses self-assembly of surfactants such as block copolymers as a template. The mesophase structure (for example hexagonal or lamellar) can be determined, and membrane pore size can be controlled in the nanometer range, by changing the block copolymer and the amounts of the components such as the block copolymer, aqueous solution, monomer, crosslinker, and initiator. The monomer phase cures in the template and there is no need for organic solvents and coagulation bath or other post-modification. As-synthesized membranes were found to have pore sizes with a narrow size distribution in the range of 3-4 nm with a molecular weight cutoff of 1500 g/mol and displayed both excellent fouling resistance and high permeance of water, vastly outperforming a conventional NIPS UF membrane. The monomer can comprise a quaternary ammonium group so that the membrane is antibacterial. The block copolymer can comprise hydrophilic blocks which form the surfaces of the membrane pores, rendering them hydrophilic.