The present technology provides micro fabricated filtration devices, methods of making such devices, and uses for microfabricated filtration devices. The devices may allow diffusion to occur between two fluids with improved transport resistance characteristics as compared to conventional filtration devices. The devices may include a compound structure that includes a porous membrane overlying a support structure. The support structure may define a cavity and a plurality of recesses formed in a way that can allow modified convective flow of a first fluid to provide improved diffusive transport between the first fluid and a second fluid through the membrane.

A fluid circuit (160) defining a flow path for a fluid from a fluid supply (152) toward a process stage (156). The fluid circuit may include a plurality of operative components (168) including a body portion (182) and a plurality of tubing connector fittings (186). The operative components may be connected by a plurality of tubing segments (164). Each body portion may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer portion and an outer conductor (234) that extends between each of the plurality of tubing connector fittings and that is unitary with the non-conductive fluoropolymer portion. The plurality of tubing segments may include a non-conductive fluoropolymer tubing portion (187) and an axial strip (188) of conductive polymer. The outer conductor of each body portion conductively connected with tubing segments connected thereto. Each of the connectors may include a bridging component (262) for conductively connecting the respective outer conductor of the body portion to the strip of conductive polymer of the connecting tubing segments.

Disclosed herein is a complex generator including a hydrophilic fiber membrane coated with an adsorption material. Electrical energy is generated in such a manner that the adsorption material is adsorbed onto a polar solvent in some region of the hydrophilic fiber membrane by asymmetrical wetting of the polar solvent for the hydrophilic fiber membrane.

There is provided an apparatus for removing fine particles having membranes for removing fine particles in a liquid, wherein a microfiltration membrane or ultrafiltration membrane having a positive charge and a microfiltration membrane or ultrafiltration membrane having a negative charge are arranged in series. There is also provided a method for removing fine particles using the apparatus. Liquids may be passed through the membrane having a negative charge and the membrane having a positive charge in order; thereby, extrafine particles having a particle size of 50 nm or smaller, especially of 10 nm or smaller, in the liquids can be removed highly. The liquid passing may be carried out in the order reverse thereto.

The invention relates to a self-supporting highly moisture-permeable heat-insulating aerogel film and a preparation method thereof. The aerogel film is a self-supporting single-layer film with a SiO.sub.2 porous skeleton structure, having a thickness of 150 μm to 300 μm, which increases an exchange rate of vapor by 50% to 200%, and reduces a heat conductivity coefficient by 50% to 90%. The preparation method includes the following steps: (1) preparation of a template; (2) hydrolysis of nano-cellulose; (3) preparation of an aerogel film; and (4) post-treatment of the aerogel film.

A molecular sieve that has high selectivity and enables high-speed molecular permeation is provided. The molecular sieve has a nanowindow formed lacking a portion of carbon atoms in graphene, and one or more heteroatoms substituting for one or more carbon atoms that constitute a rim of this nanowindow, in which an electrostatic field is induced within the nanowindow by the heteroatoms, the rim of the nanowindow is relaxed in cooperation with a permeating molecule having a van der Waals' radius larger than the nanowindow, and the molecular sieve becomes permeable to the permeating molecule.

A composite ion conducting tube is made by wrapping a support material or ion conducting sheet to from a tube having overlaps of layers that are bonded. The ion conducting sheet or tape used to make the tube may be very thin and the tube may be formed in situ by wrapping the support material and then coating with ion conducting polymer. The ion conducting tubes may be used in a pervaporation module or desalination system. The ion conducting tubes may be spirally wrapped or longitudinally wrapped and may be very thin having a tube wall thickness of no more than 25 microns.

In one embodiment, a method for separating acidic gases from a gas mixture includes exposing the gas mixture to a separation membrane at an elevated temperature, where the separation membrane includes a porous support and at least one molten alkali metal hydroxide disposed within pores of the porous support.

The present invention is concerned with a dielectric material comprising a fluoropolymer, wherein at least part of the crystalline region of the fluoropolymer is in the β-phase. The dielectric material of the present invention may show relaxor-like ferroelectricity. The present invention also relates to a novel method of producing such a material, and the use of such a material in a high energy density capacitor. The method comprises layering sheets of PVDF on one another and applying pressure to the multilayer under a temperature which is preferably within 40° C. of the temperature of fusion. Further, the film is preferably quenched.

A monovalent selective ion exchange membrane is disclosed. The membrane includes a polymeric microporous substrate, a cross-linked ion-transferring polymeric layer on a surface of the substrate, and a charged functionalizing layer covalently bound to the ion-transferring layer. A method of producing a monovalent selective cation exchange membrane is also disclosed. The method may include chemically adsorbing a styrene intermediate layer to a cross-linked ion-transferring polymeric layer on a surface of a polymeric microporous substrate, chlorosulfonating the styrene intermediate layer to attach a sulfonyl chloride group layer, aminating the sulfonyl group layer to attach an amine group layer, and functionalizing the amine group layer with a charged compound layer to produce the cation exchange membrane. Water treatment systems including the monovalent selective cation exchange membrane and methods of facilitating water treatment including providing the monovalent selective cation exchange membrane are also disclosed.