This invention relates to uses of graphene oxide, and in particular graphene oxide on a porous support, and a membrane comprising these materials. This invention also relates to methods of dehydration, which include vapour phase separation and pervaporation. Pervaporation is a method of separating mixtures of liquids using a membrane. Pervaporation consists of two basic steps: permeation of the permeate through the membrane and evaporation of the permeate from the other side of the membrane. Pervaporation is a mild which can be used to separate components which would not survive the comparatively harsh conditions needed for distillation (high temp, and/or low pressure).

There is provided a semi-crystalline polymer membrane, the membrane being a single-layer membrane and su-perwettable without provision of a coating or additives. There is also provided a method of forming the membrane comprising: depositing a solution on a substrate surface, the solution comprising a semi-crystalline polymer to form a nascent membrane; spraying a fluid on the nascent membrane; and immersing the nascent membrane in a non-solvent to form the semi-crystalline polymer membrane. In preferred embodiments, the fluid sprayed on the nascent membrane is selected from compressed air, water, a mixture of ethanol and water, or a solid suspension of ethanol/water/sodium chloride.

Hydrogen-producing fuel processing systems and related methods. The systems include a hydrogen-producing region configured to produce a mixed gas stream from a feedstock stream, a hydrogen-separation membrane module having at least one hydrogen-selective membrane and configured to separate the mixed gas stream into a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream, and an oxidant delivery system configured to deliver an oxidant-containing stream to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to increase hydrogen permeance of the hydrogen-selective membrane. The methods include operating a hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a hydrogen-producing regime, and subsequently operating the hydrogen-producing fuel processing system in a restoration regime, in which an oxidant-containing stream is delivered to the hydrogen-separation membrane module in situ to expose the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane to the oxidant-containing stream to increase the hydrogen permeance of the at least one hydrogen-selective membrane.

An evaporative cooling system includes a porous ceramic body with a plurality of dry channels and a plurality of wet channels. The plurality of dry channels are configured to inhibit transfer of water vapor into the dry channels and include a barrier layer that includes a roughened layer with a features size less than 1000 nm and a hydrophobic chemical modification disposed on the roughened layer. The plurality of wet channels are configured to allow transfer of water vapor.

The disclosure relates to superhydrophobic membranes and methods of making and using such membranes. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate is formed on sandpaper such that the PDMS substrate has a surface texture replicating the opposite impression of the sandpaper texture. Separately, a PVDF solution is prepared and disposed on the PDMS substrate. The PVDF substrate and liquid film combination are transferred to a solution of deionized water mixed with 2-propanol to form a PVDF film on the PDMS substrate. The PVDF film-PDMS substrate is transferred to a second DI water bath, after which the PVDF film is detached from the PDMS substrate. The PVDF film is then washed and dried, to yield a superhydrophobic PVDF membrane having the texture of sandpaper.

The disclosure relates to superhydrophobic membranes and methods of making and using such membranes. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate is formed on sandpaper such that the PDMS substrate has a surface texture replicating the opposite impression of the sandpaper texture. Separately, a PVDF solution is prepared and disposed on the PDMS substrate. The PVDF substrate and liquid film combination are transferred to a solution of deionized water mixed with 2-propanol to form a PVDF film on the PDMS substrate. The PVDF film-PDMS substrate is transferred to a second DI water bath, after which the PVDF film is detached from the PDMS substrate. The PVDF film is then washed and dried, to yield a superhydrophobic PVDF membrane having the texture of sandpaper.

A dehydration method is a dehydration method for selectively separating water from a mixture that contains water, using a zeolite membrane having an AFX structure, and the method includes a step of supplying the mixture to a supply side space of the zeolite membrane having an AFX structure, and a step of making a pressure difference between the supply side space and a permeation side space of the zeolite membrane having an AFX structure.

A thin micro-porous membrane sheet and filtering device using it is presented. The membrane sheet includes a thin porous metal sheet of thickness between 20 and 200 μm with a porous ceramic coating of thickness less than 25 μm on at least one of its surfaces. The porous metal sheet has mean pore sizes at micro and sub-micrometer level and has a surface substantially free of pores greater than 10 micrometers. The ceramic coating layer may be made of particles with a mean particle size in a range of 10 to 300 nm and contains certain sintering promoters. The ceramic coating is sintered with the metal sheet in non-oxidizing environment at lower temperatures than typical ceramic membranes. The thin membrane sheet is used to filter fine particulates from micrometers to nanometers from a liquid or gas stream. The thin membrane sheet may be assembled into a filter device having high surface area packing density and straight mini-flow channels.

A filter element has: a carrier element permeable to fluid and having a support surface, the support surface having a surface area increasing contour; and a filter medium deposited onto the support surface of the carrier element forming a filter layer adapted to the surface area increasing contour.

Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) was used to generate high purity water from bacteria and endotoxin-contaminated water. The DCMD system includes a nanocarbon-coated membrane. Exemplary nanocarbon-coated membranes include a layer of carbon nanotubes immobilized relative to a polytetrafluorethylene surface (CNIM), a layer of carboxylate functionalized carbon nanotubes immobilized in the PTFE (CNIM-COOH), and a layer of graphene oxide immobilized in the PTFE (GOIM). The nanocarbon-immobilized membranes are effective in generating ultrapure, medical grade water.