Provided are a polyethylene microporous membrane, a method for manufacturing the same, and a separator including the microporous membrane. According to an embodiment, a polyethylene microporous membrane which has a thickness of 3 ?m to 30 ?m, a puncture strength of 0.15 N/?m or more, a shrinkage rate in the transverse direction of 5% or less as measured after being allowed to stand at 121? C. for 1 hour, and a PS index represented by the following Equation 1 of 110 or more is provided:

PS index=[gas permeability (?10.sup.31 5 Darcy)?porosity (%)]+[shrinkage rate (%) in the transverse direction at 121? C.]. [Equation 1]

The problem of the present invention is to provide a novel polytetrafluoroethylene porous film having a small pore diameter, small film thickness, high porosity, and high strength, and a production method thereof. The present invention provides a polytetrafluoroethylene porous film, wherein a bubble point in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) according to JIS K3832 is not less than 400 kPa, and a tensile strength based on JIS K6251 is not less than 50 MPa.

Porous air permeable expanded PTFE composite with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties are described. The node and fibril microstructure of expanded PTFE is coated on and within the node and fibril microstructure with a suitably chosen polymer to impart property enhancement while maintaining porosity. The coating polymer content of the composite is maintained between 3 and 25 weight percent of the composite and the areal mass of the composite is less than 75 gm/m.sup.2. Exemplary enhancement to properties may include, among others, Average Tensile Strength (ATS) (in MPa)Z strength (in MPa) of 50 MPa.sup.2 or greater, preferably 100 MPa.sup.2 or greater, with air flow less than 500 Gurley seconds. Coating polymers with appropriate temperature resistance provides composites which further exhibit shrinkage of less than 10% at temperatures up to 300 C. with air flow of less than 500 Gurley seconds.

The disclosed technology includes a membrane-based device configured to concentrate black liquor, which results from papermaking. Certain embodiments may comprise a nanofiltration membrane configured to remove lignin from black liquor, and the nanofiltration membrane may include a first macroporous polymer substrate and a first graphene oxide membrane covering the first macroporous polymer substrate. Some embodiments may comprise a reverse osmosis membrane, which may include a second macroporous polymer substrate and a second graphene oxide membrane covering the second macroporous polymer substrate.

An apparatus and method for enhancing the yield and purity of hydrogen when reforming hydrocarbons is disclosed in one embodiment of the invention as including receiving a hydrocarbon feedstock fuel (e.g., methane, vaporized methanol, natural gas, vaporized diesel, etc.) and steam at a reaction zone and reacting the hydrocarbon feedstock fuel and steam in the presence of a catalyst to produce hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is selectively removed from the reaction zone while the reaction is occurring by selectively diffusing the hydrogen gas through a porous ceramic membrane. The selective removal of hydrogen changes the equilibrium of the reaction and increases the amount of hydrogen that is extracted from the hydrocarbon feedstock fuel.

Porous air permeable expanded PTFE composite with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties are described. The node and fibril microstructure of expanded PTFE is coated on and within the node and fibril microstructure with a suitably chosen polymer to impart property enhancement while maintaining porosity. The coating polymer content of the composite is maintained between 3 and 25 weight percent of the composite and the areal mass of the composite is less than 75 gm/m.sup.2. Exemplary enhancement to properties may include, among others, Average Tensile Strength (ATS) (in MPa)?Z strength (in MPa) of 50 MPa.sup.2 or greater, preferably 100 MPa.sup.2 or greater, with air flow less than 500 Gurley seconds. Coating polymers with appropriate temperature resistance provides composites which further exhibit shrinkage of less than 10% at temperatures up to 300? C. with air flow of less than 500 Gurley seconds.

A separation membrane module includes a tubular housing, a columnar membrane structure housed in the housing, an annular first flange surrounding a first end portion of the membrane structure, and a first bonding material interposed between the first flange and the first end portion. The housing has a first facing surface and an inner circumferential surface, the first facing surface facing an end surface of the first flange, and the inner circumferential surface facing an outer circumferential surface of the first flange. A coefficient of thermal expansion of the first bonding material is smaller than a coefficient of thermal expansion of the first flange. A coefficient of thermal expansion of the membrane structure is smaller than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first flange.

Methods are provided for producing a biaxially oriented nanoporous UHMWPE membrane. The method can include combining a petroleum jelly, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), and an antioxidant, forming a suspension, feeding the suspension into an extruder to produce a gel filament, pressing the gel filament to form a gel film, subjecting the gel film to an annealing temperature, and extracting the petroleum jelly from the gel film.

A polyolefin multilayer microporous membrane is disclosed. The polyolefin multilayer microporous membrane has at least three layers, the membrane comprising a first microporous layer composed of a polyethylene resin containing an ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (surface layers) and a second microporous layer composed of a polyolefin rein containing a high-density polyethylene and polypropylene (intermediate layer), wherein (I) the pin puncture strength is at least 25 g/m, (II) the coefficient of static friction with respect to a metal foil is at least 0.40, and (III) the meltdown temperature is at least 180 C.

The present invention relates to a porous ABPBI (phosphoric acid doped poly (2, 5-benzimidazole)) membrane and process of preparing the same. A stable porous ABPBI (Phosphoric Acid Doped Poly (2, 5-benzimidazole)) membrane stable to acids, bases, solvents and autoclaving is disclosed. The membrane finds use for separation of solutes in solution in acids, bases and solvents.