A method is provided for precisely enlarging a nanopore formed in a membrane. The method includes: applying an electric potential across the nanopore, where the electric potential has a pulsed waveform oscillating between a high value and a low value; measuring current flowing though the nanopore while the electric potential is being applied to the nanopore at a low value; determining size of the nanopore based in part on the measured current; and removing the electric potential applied to the membrane when the size of the nanopore corresponds to a desired size.

A coating apparatus includes: a supply frame for supplying slurry into channels from one end of a honeycomb substrate; and a blower for evacuating a wind box. An annular resistive member is attached to the circumference of the opening of the wind box, and the honeycomb substrate is arranged, with a spacer placed on the resistive member. When the blower is operated and the slurry is supplied, the coat width of the slurry coated on the inner surfaces of the channels in an outer circumferential area is less than the coat width of the slurry coated on the inner surfaces of the channels in a center area.

A sheet filter membrane is arranged on a surface of a filter plate of a thermoplastic resin, and a plurality of projections provided in a hot plate is pressed against the filter plate above a periphery of the filter membrane with different timing for each of the projections to abut on the filter membrane. A plurality of recessed bonding portions with different depths are thus formed in the filter plate, and the filter membrane is bonded to the filter plate by heat welding in each of the recessed bonding portions. Sealing is therefore provided between the filter membrane and the filter plate along the periphery of the filter membrane.

A separation membrane structure comprising a porous support, a first glass seal, and a separation membrane. The porous support includes through-holes which connect a first end surface and a second end surface. The first glass seal is configured to cover the first end surface. The separation membrane is formed on an inner surface of the through-holes. The first glass seal has a first seal body part and a first extension part. The first seal body part is disposed on the first end surface. The first extension part is connected to the first seal body part and disposed on the inner surface of the through-holes. The separation membrane has a first connection part connected to the first extension part of the first glass seal. A first thickness of the first connection part is less than or equal to 10 microns, and less than or equal to 3.2 times a center thickness at a longitudinal center of the separation membrane.

The present invention relates to a spiral wound membrane element designs wherein the membrane sheet is fabricated with selective flux and rejection characteristics that can then be modified using various intensities and wavelengths of energy such as UV or the visible spectrum to optimize characteristics of the membrane sheet such as flux or rejection, and that can be utilized to optimally bond photopolymer spacers either above the active surface of the membrane sheet, or below the active surface.

The present invention is related to a method for fabricating multilayer singlebore membranes (10) or multilayer multibore membranes (20) for ultrafiltration applications including the following method steps: (a) feeding at least a material of a substrate (12), at least one material of a functional layer (14, 15) and a bore fluid (36) to a spinneret (30) simultaneously; (b) forming said membranes (10, 20) as a tube-like string (54) in a one-step process in said spinneret (30); (c) thereby assigning a functionality to said functional layer (14, 15) applied on at least one surface (13, 17) of said substrate (12). The invention is also related to a spinneret (30) for fabricating multilayer singlebore membranes (10) or multilayer multibore membranes (20), using the inventive method, and to a system comprising such a spinneret (30).

The present invention offers a forward osmosis composite hollow fiber membrane module having hollow fiber bundles comprising a plurality of hollow fibers, the hollow fibers having a separation layer composed of a macromolecular polymer thin film provided on the inner surface of a microporous hollow fiber supporting membrane, wherein the membrane area of the hollow fiber bundle is at least 1 m.sup.2, and a variation coefficient for the average thickness of the separation layer in the radial direction and the lengthwise direction of the hollow fiber bundles, as calculated by a method of measuring the mass of the separation layer portion in a scanning electron microscope image of a cross section of the separation layer in the thickness direction, is 0% to 60%.

The present invention relates to a device, the use thereof and a method for producing highly porous, crystalline surface coatings comprising at least two spraying devices operating in sequential sequence for applying coating agents from the storage vessels (3, 4) to a material arranged on a sample holder (1) and at least one rinsing device (5, 13, 16) for removing unbound molecules from the coated surface.

The present disclosure relates to methods for producing large scale nanostructured material comprising carbon nanotubes. Therefore, there is disclosed a method for making nanostructured materials comprising depositing carbon nanotubes onto at least one substrate via a deposition station, wherein depositing comprises transporting molecules to the substrate from a deposition fluid, such as liquid or gas. By using a substrate that is permeable to the carrier fluid, and allowing the carrier fluid to flow through the substrate by differential pressure filtration, a nanostructured material can be formed on the substrate, which may be removed, or may act as a part of the final component.

Provided is a post-formation process for preparation of a highly permeable thin film composite membranes for reverse osmosis, particularly for use with brackish water at low energy conditions. The process includes contacting a polyamide discrimination layer of a TFC membrane with a solution containing an oxidizing agent to form a treated membrane, followed by contacting the treated membrane with a solution containing a reducing agent. The resulting membrane exhibits enhanced water flux while maintaining salt rejection. Also provided are reverse osmosis membranes prepared in accord with the method, and modules containing the highly permeable thin film composite membranes, and methods of purifying water using the membranes or modules.