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.

A three-dimensional photo/electrodialysis unit includes four compartments. A first compartment holds a three-dimensional electrode and a group of one or more electrochemically active redox species. A first electroactive cation selective membrane couples the first compartment to a second compartment that provides a first feedstock. An electroactive anion selective membrane couples the second compartment to a third compartment that provides a second feedstock. And a second electroactive cation selective membrane couples the third compartment to a fourth compartment

One or more polymeric hollow fiber membranes are pyrolyzed to form one or more hollow fiber CMS membranes by directing a flow of pyrolysis gas through a polymeric membrane cartridge (including a porous center tube around which one or more green, polymeric, hollow fiber membranes is arranged) or a bundle of polymeric membranes (including a plurality of green, polymeric hollow fiber membranes oriented so that their ends are disposed with ends of the bundle) in a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the cartridge or bundle in order to sweep away off-gases that are formed during pyrolysis.

One or more polymeric hollow fiber membranes are pyrolyzed to form one or more hollow fiber CMS membranes by directing a flow of pyrolysis gas through a bundle of polymeric membranes (including a plurality of green, polymeric hollow fiber membranes oriented so that their ends are disposed with ends of the bundle) in a direction perpendicular to a length direction of the bundle in order to sweep away off-gases that are formed during pyrolysis.

Disclosed herein are porous asymmetric silicon membranes. The membranes are characterized by high structural stability, and as such are useful as anode components in lithium ion batteries.

A process for separating hydrogen from a gas mixture having hydrogen and a larger gas molecule is comprised of flowing the gas mixture through a carbonized polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) copolymer membrane having a hydrogen permeance in combination with a hydrogen/methane selectivity, wherein the combination of hydrogen permeance and hydrogen/methane selectivity is (i) at least 30 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 200 hydrogen/methane selectivity or (ii) at least 10 GPU hydrogen permeance and at least 700 hydrogen/methane selectivity. The carbonized PVDC copolymer may be made by heating and restraining a polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film or hollow fiber having a thickness of 1 micrometer to 250 micrometers to a pretreatment temperature of 100? C. to 180? C. to form a pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film and then heating and restraining the pretreated polyvinylidene chloride copolymer film to a maximum pyrolysis temperature from 350? C. to 750? C.

A filter including a porous support defining one or more channels therethrough, and a porous ceramic membrane layer on a surface of the porous support defining at least one of the one or more channels. The ceramic membrane layer includes an inorganic ceramic composition having the formula SiM.sup.p.sub.xpC.sub.yN.sub.zO.sub.mH.sub.n, where each M.sup.p present is independently selected from a p-block element or a d-block element; p is an integer from 1 to 5; for each M.sup.p present, xp is independently from about 0 to about 60; y is from about 0 to about 60; z is from about 0 to about 60; m is from about 0 to about 40; and n is zero or nonzero. At least one of y and z is nonzero when p is zero, and p is nonzero when y and z are both zero.

The present invention relates to a desalination and/or purification device, a desalination and/or purification carbon membrane, and a method of desalinating and/or purifying a liquid by using such a desalination and/or purification device. In various illustrative embodiments, a desalination and/or purification device is provided, the desalination and/or purification device comprising a carbon membrane body comprising a carbon surface, and a structure of microchannels and/or nanochannels at least partially permeating the carbon membrane body and ending at openings at the carbon surface, a liquid transportation structure extending at least partially through the carbon membrane body without being exposed at the carbon surface, and a condenser arranged above the carbon membrane body. The liquid transportation structure is arranged and configured to supply the structure of microchannels and/or nanochannels of the carbon membrane body with a liquid to be desalinated and/or purified and the structure of microchannels and/or nanochannels of the carbon membrane body may be an at least two-level disordered network of channels.

Described embodiments include a graphene membrane film for solvent purification and related method, and a solvent purification system using same. The graphene membrane film for solvent purification is formed having a plurality of stacked graphene plate-shaped flakes, and at least one pair of the plurality of stacked graphene plate-shaped flakes comprises a physical bond or a chemical bond connecting layers. The graphene membrane film for solvent purification is produced by preparing a graphene oxide dispersion liquid by dispersing graphene oxide in distilled water; confining the graphene oxide dispersion liquid between a pair of substrates; and applying heat and pressure to the graphene oxide dispersion liquid between the substrates to perform a hydrothermal reaction to concurrently thermally reduce the graphene oxide and bind graphenes. Due to lipophilic surface property and fine pores, size exclusion separation and hydrophilic-lipophilic component separation through polarity may be realized, and thus is usable in fine chemistry fields.

Disclosed herein are asymmetric multilayer carbon molecular sieve (CMS) hollow fiber membranes and processes for preparing the membranes. The processes include simultaneously extruding a core dope containing a polymer and suitable nanoparticles, a sheath dope, and a bore fluid, followed by pyrolysis of the extruded fiber.