Disclosed herein are boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes and methods of manufacturing boron-nitride nanoparticle membranes. In an embodiment, a boron-nitride nanoparticle membrane includes a matrix and a plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles disposed within the matrix, where he plurality of boron-nitride nanoparticles are configured for selective molecular transport through each of the plurality of one-dimensional boron-nitride nanoparticles.

Transitional metal oxide-coated mesoporous microstructures, uses therefor, and processes for making same are provided. The transitional metal oxide-coated mesoporous microstructures can be silica based, including MCM-41, MCM-45, MCM-48, SBA-15 and SBA-16. The microstructures can include microspheres. The mesoporous microstructures can be produced using a sol-gel process wherein the crystallization step in the sol-gel process is carried out at a low temperature, where the temperature can be 22 C. for example. The metal oxide can be titanium dioxide. The titanium dioxide can include titanium dioxide nanocrystals. The transitional metal oxide-coated mesoporous microstructures can be used in environmental applications, such as nanofiltration of contaminated water to remove pollutants.

The present application discloses a composite reverse osmosis membrane and a preparation method thereof. The method includes: uniformly mixing fluorine-containing polyaryletherketone of a certain concentration and silane-modified polyaryletherketone as a casting solution; coating a non-woven fabric, i.e., a substrate, with the casting solution to form a support layer; then coating the surface of the support layer with a solution A and a solution B sequentially for reaction to form a polyamide desalination layer; and coating the polyamide desalination layer with a modified polyvinyl alcohol anti-pollution layer. By means of the method, the composite reverse osmosis membrane is prepared. Compared with the prior art, the present application can prepare a composite reverse osmosis membrane with high temperature resistance and high strength by using the composite modified polyaryletherketone as the support layer, and moreover, uses polyvinyl alcohol as a component of the anti-pollution layer, and has good anti-pollution properties.

A method for manufacturing a zeolite membrane structure includes a step of forming a first zeolite membrane on a porous support by hydrothermal synthesis in a state in which the porous support is immersed in a first zeolite membrane formation solution, a step of immersing the porous support formed the first zeolite membrane for greater than or equal to 5 minutes in a second zeolite membrane formation solution at greater than or equal to 10 degrees C. and less than or equal to 70 degrees C. and greater than or equal to pH 10, and a step of forming a second zeolite membrane on the first zeolite membrane by hydrothermal synthesis in a state in which the porous support formed the first zeolite membrane is immersed in the second zeolite membrane formation solution. The first zeolite membrane and the second zeolite membrane share at least one composite building unit constituting a framework structure.

The invention relates generally to forward osmosis membranes and methods of making forward osmosis membranes, in particular improved thin support layer upon which an active layer is cast.

The present invention relates to a composite membrane for gas separation and/or nanofiltration of a feed stream solution comprising a solvent and dissolved solutes and showing preferential rejection of the solutes. The composite membrane comprises a separating layer with intrinsic microporosity. The separating layer is suitably formed by interfacial polymerisation on a support membrane. Suitably, at least one of the monomers used in the interfacial polymerisation reaction should possess concavity, resulting in a network polymer with interconnected nanopores and a membrane with enhanced permeability. The support membrane may be optionally impregnated with a conditioning agent and may be optionally stable in organic solvents, particularly in polar aprotic solvents. The top layer of the composite membrane is optionally capped with functional groups to change the surface chemistry. The composite membrane may be cured in the oven to enhance rejection. Finally, the composite membrane may be treated with an activating solvent prior to nanofiltration.

Stabilized surfactant-based membranes and methods of manufacture thereof. Membranes comprising a stabilized surfactant mesostructure on a porous support may be used for various separations, including reverse osmosis and forward osmosis. The membranes are stabilized after evaporation of solvents; in some embodiments no removal of the surfactant is required. The surfactant solution may or may not comprise a hydrophilic compound such as an acid or base. The surface of the porous support is preferably modified prior to formation of the stabilized surfactant mesostructure. The membrane is sufficiently stable to be utilized in commercial separations devices such as spiral wound modules.

A forward osmosis membrane characterized in that a thin membrane layer having the performance of a semi-permeable membrane is laminated on a polyketone support layer.

The present invention provides a RO membrane or a FO membrane comprising a coating layer made of a phospholipid bilayer membrane and formed on a surface of a porous membrane body, having a high water permeate flow rate and salt rejection performance, the membrane being a permselective membrane comprising a porous membrane having a pore size of 5 nm to 50 nm and a coating layer made of a phospholipid bilayer and formed on a surface of the porous membrane, wherein (i) the phospholipid bilayer comprises phospholipid, amphotericin B, and ergosterol; (ii) a content of the amphotericin B is 3 to 20 mol % based on the phospholipid bilayer; (iii) a total content of the ergosterol and the amphotericin B in the phospholipid bilayer is 10 to 30 mol %.

The present invention provides a coated hollow fiber membrane which has an isoporous inner skin and a porous outer support membrane, i.e. an inside-out isoporous composite hollow fiber membrane, and to a method of preparing such membranes. The coated hollow fiber membrane is prepared by a method comprising providing a hollow fiber support membrane having a lumen surrounded by the support membrane, and coating and the inner surface thereof by first passing a polymer solution of at least one amphiphilic block copolymer in a suitable solvent through the lumen of the hollow fiber support membrane and along the inner surface thereof, thereafter pressing a core gas stream through the lumen of the coated hollow fiber mebrane, and thereafter passing a non-solvent (precipitant) through the lumen of the coated hollow fiber membrane. In order to remove the solvent or solvents completely, the membranes are kept in water for 1-2 days and washed prior to use. In order to maintain the porosity of support membrane, membrane pretreatment is advantageous prior to coating which reduces the infiltration of block copolymer solution. The membranes are useful infiltration modules, in particular microfiltration modules, ultrafiltration modules, nano-filtration modules.