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 present disclosure provides a metal-organic framework material/membrane composite material, a preparation method and a use thereof, which belongs to the technical field of water treatment. The method includes: mixing a membrane material with an alkali liquor, and performing a hydrolysis to obtain a hydrolyzed membrane; impregnating the hydrolyzed membrane in a metal salt aqueous solution and a framework organic solution in sequence, to form a metal-organic framework material/membrane composite material. In the composite material obtained by this method, the bonding strength between the membrane material and the metal-organic framework material is high, and it is not easy to separate them during the use and the composite material could be widely used. At the same time, the metal-organic framework material/membrane composite material obtained by this method has dual functionality, and thus could improve the efficiency of water treatment.

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.

A porous support for nano-thickness membranes of less than 100 nanometers local surface roughness, suitable for the support of single-layer membranes of from about 1 to 500 nanometers in thickness, and for multiple layer membranes of up to about 2000 nanometers in aggregate thickness. The support also has a surface pore size of less than 100 nanometers and a surface porosity of less than 50 percent.

The present disclosure provides an ion-exchange membrane that includes a supporting substrate impregnated with an ion-exchange material. The supporting substrate includes an imprinted non-woven layer, and the imprinting includes a plurality of deformations at a surface density of at least 16 per cm.sup.2. The supporting substrate may lack a reinforcing layer. In some examples, the supporting substrate may include only a single layer of the imprinted non-woven fabric.

The present disclosure describes a strategy to create self-healing, slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces. Roughened (e.g., porous) surfaces can be utilized to lock in place a lubricating fluid, referred to herein as Liquid B to repel a wide range of materials, referred to herein as Object A (Solid A or Liquid A). Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces outperforms other conventional surfaces in its capability to repel various simple and complex liquids (water, hydrocarbons, crude oil and blood), maintain low-contact-angle hysteresis (<2.5°), quickly restore liquid-repellency after physical damage (within 0.1-1 s), resist ice, microorganisms and insects adhesion, and function at high pressures (up to at least 690 atm). Some exemplary application where slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces will be useful include energy-efficient fluid handling and transportation, optical sensing, medicine, and as self-cleaning, and anti-fouling materials operating in extreme environments.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite articles that have a macro textured surface. The composite articles include at least two different PTFE membranes in a layered or stacked configuration. The composite article has a macro textured surface characterized by a plurality of strands raised from the surface of the PTFE membrane. The strands may be formed of either interconnected nodes of PTFE or of at least one nodal mass of PTFE and have a length equal to or greater than about 1.5 mm. The macro textured surface provides a topography to the first PTFE membrane. The composite articles have a bubble point from about 3.0 psi to about 200 psi, a thickness from about 0.01 to about 3.0 mm, and a bulk density from about 0.01 g/cm.sup.3 to about 1.0 g/cm.sup.3.

Disclosed are selectively-permeable membranes and components configured for selective permeation of a specified gas, such as oxygen, therethrough, methods for making the same and methods for using the same, for example, to implement fuel cells and electrochemical cells.

A filter membrane includes a membrane having through holes that selectively separates specific material in processing medium, the membrane including first, second and third layers such that the first layer has first surface that is supplied with processing medium, the third layer has second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, and the second layer is formed between the first and third layers. The first layer includes first convex and concave portions, the third layer includes second convex and concave portions each having a larger area than each first concave portion, the second convex portions are formed to surround the second concave portions and connected to one another, the second layer has through holes connecting the second concave portions and first set of the first concave portions, and the first concave portions include second set in regions opposing the second convex portions that is connected to each other.

A method of making a polymer membrane, the method including providing a first monomer solution having a first solvent, a second monomer solution having a second solvent, and a substrate having a surface, and including electrospraying the first monomer solution onto the substrate surface and electrospraying the second monomer solution onto the substrate surface to form the polymer membrane on at least a portion of the substrate surface.