The invention relates to a gas in/outlet-adapter system for a container/rack assembly for a diagnostic robot comprising: a receptacle (15) comprising a gas-inlet wherein the receptacle (15) is attached to a container (12), a nozzle (16) comprising a gas-outlet wherein the nozzle (16) is attached to a rack to supply the container (12) via the receptacle (15) with a gas at a defined pressure level, wherein the receptacle (12) provides one opening (24) which provides for a fluidic contact to the interior of the container (12) and a second opening (25) which provides for a gas leak-proof connection to the nozzle (16) on the rack when the receptacle (15) is placed over the nozzle (16), and wherein the nozzle (16) provides one opening (26)which provides for a fluidic contact to a tubing system of the rackand a second opening (27)which provides for a fluidic contact to the nozzle (16) when the receptacle (15) is placed to cover the nozzle (15).

A multilayer composite membrane consists essentially of a porous support layer, an inorganic porous layer, a polymer porous layer, and a separation layer. The inorganic porous layer consists of inorganic particles and is disposed on the porous support layer. The polymer porous layer is disposed on the inorganic porous layer. The separation layer is disposed on the polymer porous layer.

The present disclosure relates to a transport mechanism apparatus for transporting at least one of a gas or a fluid. The transport mechanism may have an inlet, an outlet and a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structure. The TPMS structure is formed in a layer-by-layer three dimensional (3D) printing operation to include cells propagating in three dimensions, where the cells include wall portions having openings, and where the cells form a plurality of flow paths throughout the transport mechanism from the inlet to the outlet, and where the cells form the inlet and the outlet.

The invention relates to a container for a rack of a diagnostic robot comprising: a container body comprising a sidewall or multiple sidewalls, a bottom and a top wherein the container body is of round, oval, square, rectangular, hexagonal or polygonal cross sectional shape, the top is provided with an opening that matches the size and form of a filter membrane/supporting body of an object carrier which is placed over the opening in the top of the container for filtration of a sample, wherein the opening exhibits a rim and the top is provided with a top-guiding-means which matches with a corresponding object-carrier-guiding-means on or in the object carrier so that the object carrier locks with a predetermined surface faced up into a predetermined position on the top and the container is equipped with an adapter which matches a gas outlet on the rack.

A reinforced separator for alkaline hydrolysis includes a porous support, a first porous polymer layer contiguous with one side of the support and a second porous polymer layer contiguous with the other side of the support, characterized in that the maximum pore diameter at the outer surface of the first porous polymer layer PD.sub.max(1) and of the second porous polymer layer PD.sub.max(2) are different from each other and wherein a ratio between PD.sub.max(2) and PD.sub.max(1) is between 1.25 and 10.

Design, fabrication, and usage of a reactor are presented for synthesis of structured materials from a liquid-phase precursor by heating. The structured materials are particles, membranes or films of micro-porous molecular sieve crystals such as zeolite and meso-porous materials. The precursor solution and structured materials in the reactor are uniformly heated by a planar heater with characteristic heat transfer dimension in the range of 3 mm to 10 cm. A planar heater having width and length at least three times of the characteristic heat transfer dimension provides at least one surface of uniform temperature distribution for heating purposes. Heating is conducted over a temperature range of 20 to 300 C. The planar heater can be heated by electrical power of by thermal fluid.

The present invention provides a carbon membrane for fluid separation that can suppress the breakage of a carbon membrane installed in a separation module during a vacuum desorption step before permeation of a fluid or during permeation of a fluid. The present invention provides a carbon membrane for fluid separation including a porous carbon support and a dense carbon layer provided on the porous carbon support, wherein the porous carbon support has an R.sub.s value of 1.0 or less, where the R.sub.s value is an R value (peak intensity of D-band (1360 cm.sup.1)/peak intensity of G-band (1580 cm.sup.1)) calculated from a Raman spectrum.

The present invention provides an omniphobic membrane and application thereof. The omniphobic membrane comprises a porous substrate which has a pore size between 0.4 and 2 m, a top coat, and an interface layer between the porous substrate and the top coat, and the omniphobic membrane has a carbon/silicon ratio between 40 and 60, and a hierarchical re-entrant structure. Furthermore, both of a process for fabricating the omniphobic membrane and a method for desalination of a liquid by membrane distillation are provided in the present invention.

The object of the present invention is polyphenylene oxide based film with crystalline nanoporous phases with surface area equal to or greater than 30 m2/g, preferably greater than 100 m2/g, and a procedure for the attainment thereof.

Design, fabrication, and usage of a reactor are presented for synthesis of structured materials from a liquid-phase precursor by heating. The structured materials are particles, membranes or films of micro-porous molecular sieve crystals such as zeolite and meso-porous materials. The precursor solution and structured materials in the reactor are uniformly heated by a planar heater with characteristic heat transfer dimension in the range of 3 mm to 10 cm. A planar heater having width and length at least three times of the characteristic heat transfer dimension provides at least one surface of uniform temperature distribution for heating purposes. Heating is conducted over a temperature range of 20 to 300 C. The planar heater can be heated by electrical power of by thermal fluid.