The present disclosure relates to a method of preparing oxide and non-oxide ceramic filtration elements with a high abrasion resistance, wherein the process of manufacture allows low sinter temperatures in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, wherein the obtained non-oxide filter membrane shows typical behavior of non-oxide ceramic filtration elements.

The present disclosure relates to an alkylated graphene oxide membrane comprising a plurality of graphene oxide layers, each graphene oxide layer including at least one graphene oxide sheet covalently coupled to a chemical spacer, the chemical spacer being of Formula I:

##STR00001##

The present disclosure also relates to a filtration apparatus comprising an alkylated graphene oxide membrane disposed on a support substrate.

Provided herein are methods for making a freeze-cast material having a internal structure, the methods comprising steps of: determining the internal structure of the material, the internal structure having a plurality of pores, wherein: each of the plurality of pores has directionality; and the step of determining comprises: selecting a temperature gradient and a freezing front velocity to obtain the determined internal structure based on the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity; directionally freezing a liquid formulation to form a frozen solid, the step of directionally freezing comprising: controlling the temperature gradient and the freezing front velocity to match the selected temperature gradient and the selected freezing front velocity during directionally freezing; wherein the liquid formulation comprises at least one solvent and at least one dispersed species; and subliming the at least one solvent out of the frozen solid to form the material.

The present disclosure relates, according to some embodiments, to systems, apparatus, and methods for fluid purification (e.g., water) with a ceramic membrane. For example, the present disclosure relates, in some embodiments, to a cross-flow fluid filtration assembly comprising (a) membrane housing comprising a plurality of hexagonal prism shaped membranes (b) an inlet configured to receive the contaminated fluid and to channel a contaminated fluid to the first end of the plurality of hexagonal prism shaped membranes, and (c) an outlet configured to receive a permeate released from the second end of the plurality of hexagonal shaped membranes. The present disclosure also relates to a cross-flow fluid filtration module comprising a fluid path defined by a contaminated media inlet chamber, a fluid filtration assembly positioned in a permeate chamber and a concentrate chamber.

Provided herein is a method of forming a bicontinuous intraphase jammed emulsion gel.

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.

An apparatus for fabricating a graphene membrane includes a first section having a first fluid chamber for housing a suspension of graphene platelets in a fluid. A second section is positionable adjacent the first section. The second section has a second fluid chamber and a porous support housed in the second fluid chamber for supporting a porous substrate. When the first section is positioned adjacent to the second section and the porous substrate is supported by the porous support, the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber are in fluid communication via the porous substrate. The apparatus further includes a pressurizer for creating a pressure differential between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber and thereby forcing the fluid through the porous substrate and into the second fluid chamber and lodging the graphene platelets in the pores of the porous substrate.

The present disclosure relates to a nanofiltration membrane and a method of manufacturing a nanofiltration membrane. The method includes providing a support structure having a first mesoporous layer made of TiO.sub.2 and/or ZrO.sub.2 and a second porous layer adjacent to the mesoporous layer made of aluminum oxide. The method further includes grafting an anchoring group within pores of the first mesoporous layer, wherein the second layer is inert to the grafting step. An initiator for a surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) reaction is covalently bonded to the anchoring group. The support structure is impregnated with a monomer and a solvent, and a polymerization reaction is performed, which includes passing a catalyst through the mesoporous layer, the monomer being configured to start the polymerization reaction by grafting from the initiator in the presence of the catalyst.

In the present invention, a water-based wetting dispersant having an acid value of 5 mg KOH/g or more and an amine value of 10 mg KOH/g or less is used to dilute and disperse black carbon and a hydrophobic fluorine resin in an organic solvent to manufacture a slurry for microporous layer formation. In this regard, the added amount of the water-based wetting dispersant is adjusted to 5 to 30 parts by weight on the basis of 100 parts by weight of black carbon. In the present invention, the slurry is applied to at least one surface of carbon fiber paper and dried to form a microporous layer in which two independent peaks appear as analyzed on a particle size graph, followed by compression and deposition thereof to fabricate a gas diffusion layer including the microporous layer in which two independent peaks appear as analyzed on a particle size graph. With the appearance of two independent peaks on a particle size analysis graph, the gas diffusion layer of the present invention has an excellent drainage function, thereby increasing in the current value of the concentration polarization curve at the equivalent voltage value.

A method for making a graphene membrane includes applying a suspension of graphene platelets in a fluid onto a porous substrate, and applying a pressure differential to force the fluid through the substrate to yield a filtered fluid while retaining the graphene platelets on the substrate. The graphene platelets and the substrate form the graphene membrane.