A thin film composite membrane (TFC) includes an active layer on a support. The active layer includes at least 8 barrier layers of star-polymers each having at least three linear polymers attached at a central core. Each of the barrier layers has a thickness between 5 and 50 nm, and the barrier layers have alternating charge.

An electrolyte membrane including (i) a porous mat of nanofibres, wherein the nanofibres are composed of a non-ionically conducting heterocyclic-based polymer, the heterocyclic-based polymer comprising basic functional groups and being soluble in organic solvent; and (ii) an ion-conducting polymer which is a partially- or fully-fluorinated sulphonic acid polymer. The porous mat is essentially fully impregnated with ion-conducting polymer, and the thickness of the porous mat in the electrolyte membrane is distributed across at least 80% of the thickness of the electrolyte membrane. Such a membrane is of use in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell or an electrolyser.

Poly(amino acids) having hydrophilic side groups may be grafted onto active surfaces of polyamide composite membranes so as to confer fouling resistance. Polylysine, polyhistidine, polyarginine and their blends with polyglutamic acid may be grafted to membrane surfaces via amide linkages or via peroxide-induces bonding, modifying membrane surfaces behavior towards foulants.

A method for producing a fluorosulfonyl group-containing compound to obtain a compound represented by the following formula 5 from a compound represented by the following formula 1 as a starting material and a method for producing a fluorosulfonyl group-containing monomer in which the fluorosulfonyl group-containing compound is used: ##STR00001##
wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are a C.sub.1-3 alkylene group, and R.sup.F1 and R.sup.F2 are a C.sub.1-3 perfluoroalkylene group.

A polysulfone membrane is modified so that monomers are wafted onto the surface of the membrane. The polysulfone membranes can be grafted by contacting the membrane with a grafting solution and exposing the membrane to electromagnetic radiation, typically within the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum. The monomers that are grafted are typically anionic or cationic. The grafted membranes can be used for filtering impurities, such as positively and negatively charged particles, from a liquid. Anionic membranes provide improved filtration of negatively charged impurities, while cationic membranes provide improved filtration of positively charged impurities.

A porous membrane for use in an electroosmotic pump for pumping a fluid by electroosmotic transport, the porous membrane comprising: first and second opposite surfaces and a net fluid flow direction extending in the porous membrane between said opposite surfaces, wherein when a given amount of charge flows through the porous membrane from the first to the second opposite surface more electroosmotic transport of the fluid will occur than when the same amount of charge flows through the porous membrane from the second to the first, opposite surface.

A membrane for the purification of blood, or a dialysis membrane, in hollow-fiber membrane or flat membrane geometry, made of a composite assembled from at least a base membrane based on at least one polysulfone or a polyphenylsulfone with at least one pore-forming hydrophilic additive and at least one functional layer arranged on the base membrane, whereby the functional layer is formed from at least one polymeric polycationic bonding agent and at least one polymeric polyanion, whereby the base membrane is made of a material which is selected from: a polysulfone [PSU], a sulfonated polysulfone [SPSU], a polyethersulfone [PES], a sulfonated polyethersulfone [SPES], a polyphenylsulfone [PPSU], a sulfonated polyphenylsulfone [SPPSU]; and mixtures of these.

An article that can be used for biomaterial capture comprises (a) a porous substrate; and (b) borne on the porous substrate, a polymer comprising interpolymerized units of at least one monomer consisting of (1) at least one monovalent ethylenically unsaturated group, (2) at least one monovalent ligand functional group selected from acidic groups, basic groups other than guanidino, and salts thereof, and (3) a multivalent spacer group that is directly bonded to the monovalent groups so as to link at least one ethylenically unsaturated group and at least one ligand functional group by a chain of at least six catenated atoms.

Surface conduction in porous media can drastically alter the stability and morphology of electrodeposition at high rates, above the diffusion-limited current. Above the limiting current, surface conduction inhibits growth in the positive membrane and produces irregular dendrites, while it enhances growth and suppresses dendrites behind a deionization shock in the negative membrane. The discovery of uniform growth contradicts quasi-steady “leaky membrane” models, which are in the same universality class as unstable Laplacian growth, and indicates the importance of transient electro-diffusion or electro-osmotic dispersion. Shock electrodeposition could be exploited for high-rate recharging of metal batteries or manufacturing of metal matrix composite coatings.

Provided is a blood processing filter comprising a container having two spouts serving as an inlet for a liquid to be processed and an outlet for the processed liquid, and a filtration medium contained in the container, the filtration medium comprising a filter material having different CWST values for one surface A and the other surface B.