This application is directed to new and/or improved MD and/or TD stretched and optionally calendered membranes, separators, base films, microporous membranes, battery separators including said separator, base film or membrane, batteries including said separator, and/or methods for making and/or using such membranes, separators, base films, microporous membranes, battery separators and/or batteries. For example, new and/or improved methods for making microporous membranes, and battery separators including the same, that have a better balance of desirable properties than prior microporous membranes and battery separators. The methods disclosed herein comprise the following steps: 1.) obtaining a non-porous membrane precursor; 2.) forming a porous biaxially-stretched membrane precursor from the non-porous membrane precursor; 3.) performing at least one of (a) calendering, (b) an additional machine direction (MD) stretching, (c) an additional transverse direction (TD) stretching, and (d) a pore-filling on the porous biaxially stretched precursor to form the final microporous membrane. The microporous membranes or battery separators described herein may have the following desirable balance of properties, prior to application of any coating: a TD tensile strength greater than 200 or 250 kg/cm.sup.2, a puncture strength greater than 200, 250, 300, or 400 gf, and a JIS Gurley greater than 20 or 50 s.

A free standing liquid membrane is disclosed that can selectively separate objects based on the kinetic energy value of the objects such that either an object having a first kinetic energy value can pass through the free standing liquid membrane while retaining the membrane and/or an object having a second kinetic energy value is prevented from passing through the membrane while retaining the membrane. Advantageously, the free standing liquid membrane can remain intact for seconds to hours with multiple objects passing through the membrane.

A base material for a membrane filter contains 90% by mass or more of aluminum oxide and 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less of titanium oxide. In a pore distribution curve measured by a mercury porosimeter, the base material has a first peak and a second peak which is higher than the first peak and is located at a pore size larger than that of the first peak, and the volume of pores with a pore size of 7 μm or more is 0.02 cm.sup.3/g or more.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a composite separation membrane which is excellent in not only a liquid permeable performance and a separation performance relatively but also a durability and which is particularly useful as a membrane for liquid treatment, and a method for treating a liquid by using the composite separation membrane. The composite separation membrane according to the present invention is characterized in comprising a supporting base material and a complex layer, wherein the complex layer is placed on the supporting base material, the complex layer comprises oxidized metal nanosheets, graphene oxide and an alkanolamine, and at least one of the alkanolamine is present between the oxidized metal nanosheets.

Thin, self-supporting biaxially expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes that have a high crystallinity index, high intrinsic strength, low areal density (i.e., lightweight), and high optical transparency are provided. In particular, the ePTFE membrane may have a crystallinity index of at least about 94% and a matrix tensile strength at least about 600 MPa in both longitudinal nd transverse directions. In addition, the ePTFE membrane is transparent or invisible to the naked eye through a complete conversion of the PTFE primary particles into fibrils. The ePTFE membrane may have a thickness per layer of less than 100 nm and a porosity reater than 50%. Further, the ePTFE membrane is stackable, which, in turn, may be used to control permeability, pore size, and/or bulk mechanical properties. The ePTFE membrane may be used to form composites, laminates, fibers, tapes, sheets, tubes, or three-dimensional objects. Additionally, the ePTFE membrane may be used in filtration applications.

An anion-exchange membrane of the present invention includes a substrate made of polyolefin-based woven fabric and an anion-exchange resin, and has an electrical resistance measured using 0.5 M NaCl solution at 25° C. of 1.0 Ω•cm.sup.2 or more to 2.5 Ω•cm.sup.2 or less, a bursting strength of 0.7 MPa or more to 1.2 MPa or less, a water permeation rate measured using pressured water at 0.1 MPa of 300 ml/(m.sup.2•hr) or less, a thickness of the substrate of 90 .Math.m or more to 160 .Math.m or less, and an open area ratio of the substrate of 35% or more to 55% or less.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods that can treat feeds with elevated organic levels, e.g., feeds with ≥300 Pascals (Pa) organic osmotic pressure, with one or more enhanced filter membrane modules, which may be referred to herein as membrane modules or simply modules. Preferably, a filter membrane module consistent with the present disclosure include one or more plate and frame modules, one or more spiral format modules, or a combination of plate a frame and spiral format modules. The systems and methods provided herein can provide reliable performance when used to treat feeds with elevated organic levels.

Provided is a porous hollow fiber membrane made of a thermoplastic resin, wherein a membrane thickness is 0.050 mm or larger and 0.25 mm or smaller, and when a strength coefficient is defined as K=(compressive strength)/((membrane thickness)/(inside diameter/2)).sup.3, K=1.7 or more.

There is provided a thin film composite (TFC) hollow fibre membrane comprising a porous hollow fibre support layer formed of a polymer and a selective layer, formed of a cross-linked polyamide, on an inner circumferential surface of the hollow fibre support layer, wherein the TFC hollow fibre membrane has a power density of 25-50 W/m.sup.2 at a pressure of 30 bar. There is also provided a method of forming the TFC hollow fibre membrane.

The present invention relates to a separation membrane element including a supply-side channel member, in which: the supply-side channel member has a net shape in which plural fibrous rows X including fibrous objects A and plural fibrous rows Y including fibrous objects B cross each other sterically to form intersections; at least one of the fibrous objects A and the fibrous objects B have a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion along a longitudinal direction; at least one of the fibrous objects A and the fibrous objects B include a thread that is thinner at a central portion located between intersection portions than at the large diameter portion; and a fiber between an arbitrary intersection and an adjacent intersection is a tapered fiber whose diameter increases like a taper in a direction from one intersection to the other intersection.