The present invention relates to a CO.sub.2 selective gas separation membrane and a method for preparing the gas separation membrane and the use thereof. The CO.sub.2 selective gas separation membrane comprises a gas permeable or porous support layer; and at least one gas permeable polymer layer, which is surface modified with polymer chains having CO.sub.2 philic groups, wherein the gas permeable polymer layer has a spatially controlled distribution of the CO.sub.2 philic groups on the surface thereof. The method of preparing the CO.sub.2 selective gas separation membrane, comprises the steps of: depositing at least one gas permeable polymer layer on a porous or gas permeable support layer to form a dense membrane, and surface modifying the dense membrane with polymer chains having CO.sub.2 philic groups, to obtain spatially controlled distribution of the CO.sub.2 philic groups on the surface thereof.

A gas separation membrane, a method for making the gas separation membrane, and a method for using the gas separation membrane are provided. An exemplary gas separation membrane includes a polyether-block-polyamide (PEBA) matrix and a cross-linked network including functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles dispersed through the PEBA matrix.

A filtration membrane comprising cellulose fibres, the membrane having a pore size distribution such that the modal pore diameter is between 10 nm and 25 nm and/or wherein less than 5% of the pore volume comprises pores of greater than 40 nm and having a total porosity greater than 30%.

A method of forming a membrane is described. A graphenic-based membrane is formed on a growth substrate, where the graphenic-based membrane have one or more layers of graphenic-based material. The graphenic-based membrane is removed from the growth substrate. A region of the graphenic-based membrane having intrinsic or native defects is identified. The region of the graphenic-based membrane is irradiated with charged particles while introducing carbonaceous material on a surface of the one or more layers of graphenic-based material to heal the intrinsic or native defects.

A functionalized nonwoven substrate and methods for preparing the same are described. The functionalized substrates are useful in selectively filtering and removing biological materials, such as biocontaminates, from biological samples.

A method is provided for precisely enlarging a nanopore formed in a membrane. The method includes: applying an electric potential across the nanopore, where the electric potential has a pulsed waveform oscillating between a high value and a low value; measuring current flowing though the nanopore while the electric potential is being applied to the nanopore at a low value; determining size of the nanopore based in part on the measured current; and removing the electric potential applied to the membrane when the size of the nanopore corresponds to a desired size.

An anti-microbial metal coating may be applied to filter membranes for use in actively depressing microbial viability in filtration applications. The anti-microbial metal coating may be applied to substrates that are considered to be sensitive to damage by conventional metal coating techniques or resistant to metal bonding. The coating may be applied from a salt absorbed to the substrate in solution, converted to a reducible form with a conversion agent, and reduced to active metal format through a low temperature plasma treatment.

The present invention relates to a method for curing adhesives used in the manufacture of membrane modules containing polymeric membranes, particularly polyimide based membranes used for the nanofiltration or ultrafiltration of solutes dissolved in organic solvents using microwaves. To maximise the chemical resistance of the adhesive used in these organic solvent applications, it must be as fully reacted and crosslinked (“cured”) as possible. Typically, thermal processing (heating) of the entire membrane module is used to cure the adhesives. However, the time and temperature required to achieve this high degree of completion of reaction may damage the separation performance of the membrane contained within the membrane module. In one particular aspect, this process utilises microwaves to preferentially promote the curing of epoxy adhesives over the general heating of the membrane module.

The present invention relates to a spiral wound membrane element designs wherein the membrane sheet is fabricated with selective flux and rejection characteristics that can then be modified using various intensities and wavelengths of energy such as UV or the visible spectrum to optimize characteristics of the membrane sheet such as flux or rejection, and that can be utilized to optimally bond photopolymer spacers either above the active surface of the membrane sheet, or below the active surface.

A composite gas membrane comprising: a) a porous support; b) an activated gutter layer; c) a discriminating layer located on the gutter layer; and d) optionally a protective layer on the discriminating layer; wherein the said layers remain in place when a peeling force of 2.5 N/1.5 cm is applied to the outermost of said layers.