The present invention relates to a polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) membrane comprised of at least one bilayer, wherein the bilayer is comprised of a layer of a polymeric polycation and a layer of a polymeric polyanion. Furthermore, present invention relates to methods for the production of these PEM membranes by layer-by-layer deposition and the use of these PEM membranes for the decontamination of liquids, preferably water.

A gas detection unit is accommodated within a housing of a gas sensor and the outside atmosphere of the housing is introduced through the filter to the gas detection unit. The filter comprises an organic polymer gas-permeable filter removing siloxanes and an inorganic filter removing alcohols and passing gases to be detected.

A gas detector comprises a gas detection unit and a filter introducing surrounding atmosphere to the gas detection unit. The filter comprises a gas-permeable organic polymer membrane having an acidic group or a basic group.

A method of providing fouling control in a membrane system includes generating a sacrificial protective layer (PL) on a surface of a membrane of the membrane system by coating the membrane with at least one polyelectrolyte layer, removing the PL from the membrane with a saline solution after the PL is fouled, and regenerating a new PL on the surface of the membrane by coating the membrane with at least one polyelectrolyte layer such that foulants present in a feed water accumulate on the PL, rather than on the membrane. The method further comprises one or more of the following: a) the saline solution is being applied with a shear force; b) the pH value of the saline solution is substantially neutral; c) the saline solution is non-toxic; d) the PL is removed without a backwash; e) the PL is not an active filtration layer, wherein a pore size of the PL is greater than a pore size of the membrane; and/or f) the PL is not disposed in pores of the membrane.

A bipolar membrane comprising a cation exchange mat of one or more cation exchange polymers, an anion exchange mat of one or more anion exchange polymers, and an internal 3D bipolar interface, disposed between the cation and anion exchange layers, including a mixture of at least one cation exchange polymer and at least one anion exchange polymer, such that an interface of the at least one cation exchange polymer and the at least one anion exchange polymer is the internal 3D bipolar interface that has a large area, and the at least one cation exchange polymer in the 3D bipolar interface is connected to the one or more cation exchange polymers of the cation exchange layer, and the at least one anion exchange polymer in the 3D bipolar interface is connected to the one or more anion exchange polymers of the anion exchange layer.

The present invention provides a polymer electrolyte membrane having excellent strength, a small dimensional change, and a low membrane resistance. The polymer electrolyte membrane includes a porous film having pores and a polymer electrolyte contained in the pores. The porous film is obtained by copolymerizing tetrafluoroethylene and an ethylenic comonomer to provide polytetrafluoroethylene and then stretching the polytetrafluoroethylene. The porous film has an average pore size of greater than 0.20 m.

A porous membrane having a porous matrix formed of a thermoplastic polymer material and inorganic filler particles embedded in the porous matrix, the inorganic filler particles having an accessible surface comprising nucleophilic groups bonded to the inorganic filler particles is functionalised by bringing the porous membrane in contact with an aqueous solution comprising a carboxylic acid and/or an anhydride thereof at a pH equal to or smaller than 3.5 to obtain a carboxylic acid functionalised membrane.

The invention relates to porous polymeric cellulose prepared via cellulose crosslinking. The porous polymeric cellulose can be incorporated into membranes and/or hydrogels. In preferred embodiments, the membranes and/or hydrogels can provide high dynamic binding capacity at high flow rates. Membranes and/or hydrogels comprising the porous polymeric cellulose are particularly suitable for filtration, separation, and/or functionalization media.

In one embodiment described herein, a bodily fluid separation material is provided comprising a formed component capture region and a bodily fluid pass-through region. The pass-through region has structures with a reduced liquid leaching quality relative to than the capture region, wherein during separation material use, bodily fluid enters the capture region prior to entering the pass-through region. Optionally, a bodily fluid pass-through region has a reduced amount of liquid leaching material relative to than the capture region.

An article that includes a functionalized copolymer and the use thereof, particularly in a process for binding biomaterials, such as in a process for separating aggregated proteins from monomeric proteins in a biological solution; wherein the article includes: a) a porous substrate; and b) a copolymer covalently attached to the porous substrate, the copolymer comprising a hydrocarbon backbone and a plurality of pendant groups attached to the hydrocarbon backbone, wherein 1) each of a first plurality of pendant groups comprises: (a) at least one acidic group or salt thereof; and (b) a spacer group that directly links the at least one acidic group or salt thereof to the hydrocarbon backbone by a chain of at least 6 catenated atoms; and 2) each of a second plurality of pendant groups comprises: (a) at least one acidic group or salt thereof; and (b) a spacer group that directly links the at least one acidic group or salt thereof to the hydrocarbon backbone by a chain of at least 6 catenated atoms; and wherein the first plurality of pendant groups are different than the second plurality of pendant groups; and wherein a mole ratio of the first plurality of pendant groups to the second plurality of pendant groups is in a range of 95:5 to 5:95.