This document describes systems and methods for treating and recovering water from feed solutions using a multilayer module with an expansion chamber. The multilayer module comprises a feed spacer layer, a permeate spacer layer and a membrane layer, wherein water vapor evaporated from the feed solution in the feed spacer passes through the membrane layer into the permeate spacer layer. The expansion chamber receives the water vapor from the permeate spacer layer and the feed solution from the feed spacer layer.

Method for making a porous graphene layer of a thickness of less than 100 nm with pores having an average size in the range of 5-900 nm, includes the following steps: providing a catalytically active substrate catalyzing graphene formation under chemical vapor deposition conditions, the catalytically active substrate in or on its surface being provided with a plurality of catalytically inactive domains having a size essentially corresponding to the size of the pores in the resultant porous graphene layer; chemical vapor deposition using a carbon source in the gas phase and formation of the porous graphene layer on the surface of the catalytically active substrate. The pores in the graphene layer are in situ formed due to the presence of the catalytically inactive domains.

A device for exchange of water molecule and temperature between two fluids. The device comprises thin molecular sieve membrane sheets that allow water molecules to permeate through while blocking cross-over of the exchanging fluids. The device provides two sets of flow channels having a hydraulic diameter ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 mm for respective process and sweep fluid flows. The two sets of the channels are separated by a membrane sheet having a thickness less than 200 μm. The thin molecule sieve membrane may be prepared by forming an ultra-thin zeolite membrane layer on a porous metal-based support sheet which provides very high water permeance so that the exchange can be conducted in a compact membrane module at high throughput. The device can be used to remove water from a process stream of higher water content by use of a sweep fluid of lower water content or higher water affinity. For example, the device can be used to condition outdoor fresh air close to the temperature and humidity of indoor air by conducting humidity and heat exchange between the fresh air flow drawn from outdoors and waste air discharged indoors.

Parallel plate devices for hemofiltration or hemodialysis are provided. A parallel plate device includes a parallel plate assembly having an aligned stack of stackable plate subunits, each stackable plate subunit having a through channel for blood, where the blood channels are opened up at opposite ends of the parallel plate assembly. The parallel plate assembly is configured to form filtrate/dialysate channels interleaved with the blood channels, adjacent channels being separated by a silicon nanoporous filtration membrane. A blood conduit adaptor is attached to the parallel plate assembly at each of the ends, and is configured to distribute blood to or collect blood from the blood channels. Also provided are systems and methods for using the parallel plate devices.

A filter structure includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet; a first filter embedded in the housing and including a polymer membrane for filtering a first fluid flowing from the inlet into the housing; and a second filter embedded in the housing, filtering a second fluid filtered by the first filter, and including mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN).

A membrane for water collection may include a sheet having a top surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of conical structures disposed on the top surface of the sheet, the conical structures comprising a hydrogel material. Each conical structure of the plurality of conical structures may have a height of 1 mm to 50 mm, wherein height is measured from the top surface of the sheet to an apex of a conical structure. Each conical structure of the plurality of conical structures may have an apex angle of 10 to 60 degrees.

The present invention relates to an ion-selective composite membrane having a thickness of between 4 μm and 100 μm, comprising at least one inner layer disposed between two outer layers, wherein: —the outer layers are each formed of a first material comprising a network of nanofibres and/or crosslinked microfibres and pores with a diameter of between 10 nm and 10 μm, —the inner layer is formed of a second material comprising nanoparticles functionalized at the surface by charged groups and/or groups which become charged in the presence of water and having pores with a diameter of between 1 and 100 nm.

The present invention provides highly permeable and porous polybenzimidazole membranes, methods of making them, and their application as a high-performance membrane support for gas separation composite membranes. The polybenzimidazole membranes are bonded to a fabric substrate.

Composite polyether block amide (PEBA) copolymer tubes incorporate an ultra-thin PEBA layer that enables rapid moisture transfer and exchange through the tube. A composite PEBA film may include a porous scaffold support and may be formed or incorporated into the composite PEBA tube. A porous scaffold support may be coated or imbibed with PEBA to form a composite PEBA film. A composite PEBA film may be wrapped on a mandrel or over a porous scaffold support to form a composite PEBA tube. A film layer may be applied over a wrapped composite PEBA film to secure the layers together. The film layer by applied by dipping, spraying or painting.

The invention relates to carbon supported crack- and tear-free graphene membranes of large area useful for selective gas separation, method of preparation and uses thereof. In particular, the invention relates to carbon supported crack- and tear-free graphene membranes having good gas separation performance, in particular high H.sub.2 permeance and H.sub.2/CH.sub.4 selectivities.